


Serendipity

by ReyloGingerroseStar



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Ben and Hux going at each other's throats, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Friendship forming between Ben and Hux, Hux talking about his past, Infatuation, Rey and Rose secretly planning to help their love interests, Rose is the most understanding woman in the world at some point, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-23
Updated: 2020-03-27
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:28:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 23,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22378738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReyloGingerroseStar/pseuds/ReyloGingerroseStar
Summary: Years after the Battle of Crait brought changes, namely to the First Order defector, Armitage Hux. The choice to abandon his life's work, does not bring him the satisfaction he desired. As Ben and Rey fight to keep their new found love strong, Hux is forced to face the consequences of his actions, but finds himself opening up to the one who would listen, Rose (Reylo/Gingerrose).
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Rose Tico, Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo
Comments: 23
Kudos: 112





	1. Irony

**Author's Note:**

> The events take place a few years after the Battle of Crait. I haven't watched TROS and don't plan on watching it. It does not influence my story. Ben and Hux are both alive, both going against the First Order, with the help of Rey and Rose.

He groaned the moment his head hit the floor. His face ached as he remained pressed down, too tired to get up. 

“Resistance scum.” he mumbled, hoping it would make him feel better. 

He could barely remember their faces…two of them grabbed him, punched him in the stomach and threw him in what appears to be a cell. A poor excuse of a cell, that is. He scoffed, realizing just how pathetic the new military base must look like if the cell was such a mess. 

He knew in no time, he could plan an escape and succeed. After all he had done for them, after all he had sacrificed...He did do it for his own benefit, no doubt and he wasn’t expecting to be welcomed with open arms but they could have shown some courtesy towards their informant. Without him, they would have been blasted into oblivion. His train of thought stopped as he realized that he was not alone in that cell. 

“Hux!” someone exclaimed behind him and the former First Order General finally stood up, his eyes widening as he noticed who was sitting on the cold ground, his hands on his knees, his face tired, his skin presenting scrapes and bruises and his clothes…certainly not what Hux was used to see on him.

“Ren!” he hissed in response. The dark haired man’s face now showed a frown and discomfort at hearing the way Hux addressed him. Nevertheless, the newly turned Ben Solo ran his hand through his hair and whispered, “What are you doing here?” 

“What am I doing here? What are you doing here?!” Hux exclaimed, loud enough for the whole base to hear. He sounded furious and Ben was not even mildly surprised. Hux hated him more than he hated the Rebels. 

Suddenly, the cell door opened and in walked the two men who had thrown Hux into the cell a while ago. One of them was holding two blasters, pointing directly at the two prisoners, while the other Resistance member was holding onto cuffs, a pair for each of them. 

“Sit down!” the one holding the cuffs yelled at Hux. 

The defected General looked over at the blaster pointed directly at him and thought better than to cause a scene. Regardless of how much venom was waiting to be spit from his mouth, he realized it would be wise to listen. With a scowl still plastered over his face, he sat down on Ren’s left side of the wall, making sure to put a lot of distance between them. Despite this little distraction, he was not done with the former Supreme Leader.

As soon as he sat down, his nose wrinkling at the smell, Hux saw the Resistance member approach him and grab his hands roughly, placing them in metal cuffs. Hux almost smirked at the sight. “Low on credits I presume.” he muttered under his breath. 

There was a blaster pointed at his neck at that moment. “Be quiet!” the other Resistance member hissed and begrudgingly, Hux complied. He chose to focus on the scum who was now placing a different set of cuffs around Ren’s wrists. He frowned when he noticed how the all-mighty Kylo Ren didn’t show an ounce of restraint. For the first time since they had known each other, Hux noticed he was just…different. 

Ben Solo’s gasp caught Hux’s attention. “What is this?” Ben muttered softly, staring at the way the restrains turned a luminous blue and he felt completely drained of his remaining power. 

“You didn’t really think we would let a Force user like you stay on this base without taking the proper precautions, right? We don’t care who you claim you are now or the reason you’re here. You’re a murderous tyrant and the treatment you receive here is better than you deserve! As long as you wear those, you won’t be able to use the Force around here!” The Resistance member who cuffed him snapped. 

The other one, who was holding the blasters, finally stepped towards the cell door and opened it. “If you try anything, we’ll know. We don’t use torture on inmates, but we can resort to other methods. And keep your voices down. Remember who you are and why you’re here! Just because you defected the First Order, does not mean you won’t be held accountable for all the crimes you committed against this Galaxy!”

With that, they left the two prisoners in silence, the door closing rapidly behind them. Hux’s eyes wandered over to the only other person left in that cell. It was no longer as dark as before the Resistance scums walked inside and now, Hux could examine his former Supreme Leader more closely. He didn’t know what to say. He was angry, repulsed at the idea that Ren would be here, when the only reason he defected was to get away from him in the first place.

Ben Solo let out a sigh, as he glanced down at his wrists and felt completely powerless. He refused to look at Hux. But he could feel Hux continue to glare at him. 

“I will ask again. What are you doing here, Ren?” Hux finally asked, venomously. Ben simply rolled his eyes. “Or you’ll do what?” 

“The way I see it, I am the one with the advantage of having simple, if not cheat metal, around my wrists. Your restrains seem to weaken you more and more. I can walk over there and…” “And do what?” Ben challenged him again. 

He knew the General was bluffing. Even knowing that his former colleague didn’t have access to the Force and was completely weakened, he wouldn’t have the guts to attack him.

They stayed in silence for a couple more minutes, before Ben finally spoke, “You will address me as Ben Solo from now on.” Hux frowned and glanced over at him, thinking that he might have misheard. “Excuse me?” he spat. “I said that my name is not Kylo Ren. You either call me Ben Solo or we have nothing to discuss.”

“Ben Solo.” Hux whispered his name, as though he was trying to process what his former Supreme Leader was trying to tell him. After a few moments of being alone with his thoughts, realization finally dawned on Hux’s face. “Oh wonderful…” he hissed and knocked his head back against the wall, his eyes closed. 

He knew the stories. In fact, he was the only member of the First Order, aside from Snoke, who was aware of Kylo Ren’s true identity. The estranged son of rebels Han Solo and Leia Organa. Former Padawan to Jedi Master Luke Skywalker. Hux would have ran his hand through his hair in frustration if he could. The restrains were making it quite difficult. 

“I see…you chose to abandon the position that was given to you…you decided to return to your traitorous mother…” “My mother is dead.” Ben responded immediately. Hux was silenced by this response as more thoughts entered his mind. 

“My mother, General Leia Organa is dead. She gave her life to save mine. I am here…where I belong.” Ben continued, staring at the ceiling, unaware that Hux was now glaring at him.

“You were acting all high and mighty. Snoke favored you. You offered the First Order nothing! Nothing! You became Supreme Leader and everyone accepted and respected you. Only I believed the truth…that you killed Supreme Leader Snoke…” 

Ben snapped out of his trance and looked over at the ginger haired man. 

“Enough. It is you who has some explaining to do, not me. I chose the life I once had. I chose to come home. Imagine my surprise to see you dragged here. What are you doing? Spying for Pryde?” Ben’s voice was calm, something which confused Hux greatly. Who was this man? He was not the Kylo Ren he remembered. 

Nevertheless, Hux refused to answer. He didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing the real reason he defected. “You must be joking. I would never give that Bantha Fodder any assistance after the way he treated me. I worked for my position and I became a General through my own merits…” 

“Brainwashing soldiers.” Ben stated. “Don’t patronize me, Ren! You were right there alongside me and you praised my work. Those were your soldiers too.” “Ben! I told you my name is Ben!” Ben tried to contain his anger. It was difficult to do so around Hux, the man he most hated throughout his life as Kylo Ren. 

“Solo, then.” Hux reasoned with sarcasm. “Solo was my father.” Ben murmured. “Ah yes…well do excuse me but there is no other option left. I will never agree to the name you chose for yourself and seeing that you disgraced the First Order and turned traitor, I cannot be in the position of calling you Supreme Leader or even Kylo Ren for that matter…as you are no longer a Knight of Ren. You are a defector.”

Ben rolled his eyes and stated, “As are you.” “I have my own reasons for being here.” “Pray tell.” Hux pursed his lips and growled, “You were not supposed to be here. You were supposed to be destroyed…I was supposed to aid the rebels…” 

“You were the mole.” Ben stated, a look of surprise on his face. Hux was the last person he would have thought would want to turn coat and aid the Resistance scums as he called them. Hux said nothing and just continued to stare on ahead, not denying Ben’s statement either. 

A grin was suddenly plastered on Ben’s face as he leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes as if trying his hardest not to start laughing. Hux raised an eyebrow, looking at him in shock. They worked together for many years and never once had the redhead seen a smile on Kylo Ren’s face. 

“I get it.” Ben mumbled, a small chuckle escaping his lips. “I get it. You decided to go against me and provide information to the Resistance, hoping they will take me down. But you never expected to be brought in as a prisoner once you defected and you never expected to find me here. Your intention was to use the Resistance to destroy me, not knowing that I would join them. Therefore, your whole purpose of leaving the First Order is inexistent.”

“Yes, yes, I see the irony.” Hux hissed, annoyed that Ben was still chuckling, trying to keep his voice down, as to not give those two Resistance fighters any reason to burst inside. “You left me no choice. I did this for myself. Pryde stepped up and took away my position. I was humiliated, I despised you and was determined that if I would be treated in such a way, I would make both you and Pryde regret it.”

“And now you are stuck in here with me. What a successful plan, Hux. Congratulations!” Hux could almost hear Kylo Ren speaking to him once again through that remark, not Ben Solo. 

He started remembering the days when he and Snoke would mock him and his efforts. Rage was once again building up inside the former General.  
He despised Ren…no, Ben Solo, indeed. 

However, he was right. This entire plan had been foolish. He abandoned his cause for a chance at revenge against those who humiliated him and undermined his efforts. In the end, he ended up in a Resistance cell with the very same person he has been working with the Resistance to destroy. He gritted his teeth, realizing what a fool he’d been. He thought his actions would do him good. 

“What about your actions? You are here, claiming to be Ben Solo, claiming to have joined the Resistance and yet they lock you in a cell. What? They don’t trust the son of their precious former Princess?”

Ben was about to respond, when there was something that could be heard outside their cell door. “I already told you! I am following Poe’s instructions. He is the new General, you know? They are not allowed to have visitors!” 

Hux frowned and was about to say something, when a girl’s voice could be heard, gentle but firm at the same time. Ben’s eyes widened and he had a look of longing which Hux has certainly never seen beforehand. Suddenly, everything clicked in his mind. He knew who that girl was. The filthy scavenger from Jakku, the Jedi. The one who produced billions of credits worth of damage to Starkiller and the Supremacy. Hux was slowly losing his patience. 

“You will let me in and not tell anyone that I am here. The prisoners had no visitors today.” she stated more firmly behind the door. “Rey.” Hux could hear Ben murmuring her name, starting to move from his position, closer to the door. The restrains were making it difficult for him to save his energy. 

“I will let you in. The prisoners had no visitors today.” They heard the Resistance fighter guarding their cell reply. “Rey.” Ben said once again.

The door to their cell slid open and Ben could finally see her. Her buns were no longer secure and her hair was left flowing. They were just staring at each other. Rey’s gaze was filled with warmth as she approached him carefully, instructing the person behind her to shut the door. 

“Rey.” Ben murmured and she knelt down beside him, whispering “Ben.” 

Before he could say anything else, Rey pressed her lips against his and held his cheeks gently in her hands. Ben moaned softly as their kiss deepened. He wished he could move his hands. 

He felt drained, the restrains taking away his ability to connect to their bond. He was frustrated, but at the same time, he was distracted by the beautiful scavenger girl who was kissing him as though she needed him to remember, as though he had forgotten their first kiss...just a few days ago…after they defeated Palpatine together. 

But he could never forget. He knew her love was real, and she was trying to prove that to him. He kissed her back as best as he could under the circumstances, and he could feel her smiling, as she caressed his face. 

Ben could not see the look of shock on Hux’s face. His mouth was slightly open and a look of complete confusion and outrage was on his face. A noise disrupted him however. Someone else was clearing her throat. Hux moved his eyes away from the shocking scene before him, to see the petite but strong girl who had stood up to him that day he caught her on the Supremacy with the scumbag traitorous Stormtrooper. Hux’s eyes widened as he remembered the way she resisted and the way she bit his finger when he was taunting her.

Now, she was standing before him, holding a tray with various foods. She was dressed as a mechanic and her hair was in a long ponytail, very different from her previous hairdo. Rose Tico was shooting daggers at him.


	2. Miss Tico

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Ben spend some long awaited time together, while Hux and Rose go at each other's throats.

Rey held him in her arms, still kissing him passionately. Ben sighed, contentment filling him. Her touch was euphoric. He didn’t care that they had company in that cell. He could not see anyone but her. 

Her eyes, her smile…it was everything he dreamed of. This was what he needed to feel fulfilled. He was willing to do anything, renounce anything, if he could have her.

He remembered how his life was fading, his eyes becoming blurry, unfocussed, a few moments after their first kiss. He had given up his life trying to heal her from Palpatine’s wounds. After they killed him and sent his corpse back where it belonged, he felt the truth. She was deadly wounded. 

The beautiful scavenger he was in love with was going to die. He couldn’t allow that to happen. He knew that he would gladly give up his own life for hers. And it would have been worth it. It was her life that mattered…she mattered to him. If she had a chance at a happy life, he would do anything to make it happen.

But fate had other plans. After giving Rey his life force, he heard his mother’s voice. “Not now, Ben…not now.” 

Leia sacrificed herself for her only son. Just like Ben, she was willing to give up her life for someone she loved. And she never stopped loving her son, despite his choices…despite what happened to Han.

Ben remembered the tears streaking down her face when his eyes opened wide once more. He was resting on the ground, more alive than ever. Rey was above him, smiling, holding him, crying. As soon as he managed to stand up, welcoming a fresh start, Rey flung her arms around him and pulled him in for a big hug. 

“You’re here.” she kept whispering in his ear. He smiled and held her lovingly, telling her, “I’m here, sweetheart. I came back.”

Despite his return to his old life, the Resistance members were less than thrilled to see him, especially FN-2187. Rey tried to explain, while taking precautions at the same time so as to not reveal their true relationship to her friends. Poe Dameron refused to listen, and decided to throw him in this cell, until the trial. 

Ben can’t say that he wasn’t expecting this result. He knew the risk when he came back with Rey. He knew what he had done would not be forgiven and he had to face some kind of punishment for his actions. 

Even though he knew deep inside his heart that these actions were not his own. Ben Solo didn’t torture or kill people. Ben Solo was no tyrant. He was used, by both Snoke and Palpatine. They turned him into someone he never wanted to become. They used his weaknesses against him. 

Now, after several days in a cold cell, restrains taking away his ability to connect to the Force, the only thing he could hope for was for Rey to be able to visit him as often as possible. He needed her. He felt he would perish without her. 

Pulling back from their kiss, Rey pressed her forehead against his and ran her fingers over his stubble, breathing in deeply. 

“How did you manage to get here, sweetheart?” Ben finally asked her, slowly opening his eyes so he could see her smile. He knew the answer to that question, but he wanted her to say it. And he wanted her to explain herself, why she would take such a big risk.

“Those Jedi mind tricks are really starting to pay off. Nathar and Claale were not expecting it.” Rey responded and grinned, biting her lower lip. 

“Rey, I want to see you as much as possible but I don’t want you to get in trouble with your friends. I don’t want you to take such risks…”

“They left me no choice! They wouldn’t let me see you. And I couldn’t insist any longer. Poe was already starting to get suspicious about our relationship. If they find out about this, I won’t be able to help you during your trial. They would consider me compromised because of my feelings for you.” Rey whispered and ran one hand through the back of his head, while keeping the other rested on his right cheek.

“Be careful. I don’t want them to see you as a traitor because of this.” he insisted, while still looking at her longingly, wishing he could feel her through their bond. Unfortunately, his restrains were making it impossible. 

“Ben, I am tired of this war. I am tired of fighting. And I am tired of being alone. I have done so much for the Resistance, for this Galaxy…they can’t refuse me my happiness. I am a hero, and I want to make sure they remember that. I have you back now. After all we have been through, you are back. Your own mother gave up her life so you could finally live yours. And you will live it…for the first time…with me. I am not letting you go. I will never let you go.”

He was deeply moved by her words and he instinctively tried to reach out, but his restrains once again stopped him. He growled at this and Rey finally shifted her eyes away from his face and to his restrains. Touching them, she hissed and pulled her fingers away immediately. They stung her. 

“Poe never told me about these. I don’t even know who he asked to make them.” she told him, sincerely, frustrated herself that she couldn’t relieve him of them. 

“Dameron seems to have the say in everything now.” Ben said, with a slight bitterness in his tone. He would have accepted pretty much anyone to take his mother’s place as General, except the tedious and arrogant Resistance all-star pilot. 

Rey sighed and explained, “Everyone wanted him. They thought that he was the best choice. I would have preferred Kaydel Connix take over. She was a great candidate, loyal to our cause, smart, trained by Leia herself and levelheaded, unlike Poe.” 

Ben said nothing and simply nodded, the smile draining from his face. He knew how much Poe Dameron hated him. And Ben knew that even if he had let go of his Kylo Ren persona, he hated the pilot just as much, for trying to take his place in his mother’s life. 

Rey pulled him from his thoughts, by grabbing his cheeks firmly and making him look at her. “The only life I want is with you.” 

His smile widened, just like it did after their first kiss. These were such comforting words, to know that the woman he loved wanted him just as much and would do anything so that they could have a life together. She gave him one more kiss before leaning her head against his chest, her hand pressed against his chest. 

Ben smiled and leaned back against the wall to give her more room to cuddle. 

They felt at peace, resting together for a couple of moments, before finally planting their feet on the ground and realizing that the two people in the cell had been watching the whole thing. 

Hux was on the opposite wall now, the metal restrains around his wrists, his head against the wall, looking as if he was waiting for someone to terminate him. 

Rose was staring at the pair, with the tray still in her hands, and trying to suppress a smile. Rey knew that her new best friend was a sucker for true love. Especially since she and Finn were having problems. 

Scoffing, Hux turned his head in another direction, refusing to look at the two.

“What’s the matter, Hux? Unable to handle human emotion?” Ben asked him, as calmly as possible. 

The former General rolled his eyes and glared at his former superior, spatting, “Now I realize precisely how weak you are. You have a pretty little scavenger batting her eyelashes and you’re running away from everything you stand for. You’re pathetic.” 

Rey could feel Ben tense beneath her, as he started getting up, but she held him down. “No, don’t. Please. I can’t stay here too long. Ignore him. Let’s just talk.” 

She leaned her head into the crook of his neck and he sighed, leaning back down and pressing his lips to her forehead. The two started taking to each other, more softly than before, about all kinds of things. 

Hux’s frown deepened and he was in a state on continued shock as he continued watching the two. He knew that the former Supreme Leader was obsessed with the scavenger, but he had no idea it would go this far. He was outraged, as well as disgusted. 

Suddenly, the tray was dropped at his feet, startling him. His eyes widened as he looked down and noticed that half the food was already spoiled and milk was now dripping from his face. 

As if the shock of seeing Ren and the scavenger go at it wasn’t bad enough. Rose Tico was now standing before him, with her arms crossed and a smug look on her face. 

“Your meal is served!” she exclaimed and pointed downwards towards the tray. 

Hux’s frowned deepened as he continued glaring at her, spitting away the milk and shaking his head, hoping to relieve himself of the wetness he couldn’t stand. 

“Lack of manners. Should not have come as a surprise from the likes of you.” he finally pointed out.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Were you expecting some kind of special treatment?”

“Simply common courtesy for the man who saved your miserable lives. If it weren’t for my betrayal, you and the rest of the Resistance scum would have been eliminated by Pryde and his army.” Hux responded, bitterly. 

“Your intel doesn’t change the fact that you’re responsible for the deaths of millions, enslavement of others and…let’s not forget that you almost had me executed!”

“At which point you certainly proved your resilience by biting my finger like a filthy little Akk dog!”

Rose uncrossed her hands and stepped closer to him, her hands balling into fists. “I should have done better than that! I would have if I hadn’t been restrained by your minions.” 

Hux couldn’t help but smirk, looking up at her. Such a fiery spirit…he hated to admit it but it excited him…in a twisted sort of way. There was surprise on her face, towards his face expression. She didn’t know what to say. She did expect him to be angry, but it looked like he gave up trying. 

She finally took a step back and said, “Now you know how it feels…to be humiliated. Too bad we’re alone in here and I don’t have some more of my friends to witness this moment. They would have enjoyed it.”

“The way you treat your inmates says a lot about your character…Miss Tico.” Hux responded, getting the upper hand by using her name. He was certain it would catch her off guard and of course, he was right. 

“How do you know my name?” Rose asked, not paying attention to his remark, even though she knew she would have given him a witty response. 

“I did some research, of course. Information about any Resistance vermin is not at all hard to find. Especially when that information is often used to determine a price put on each of your heads.

“You decided to help these vermin!” Rose snapped at him. 

“Indeed…a decision I regret. You are nothing but untrained, unrefined and undisciplined rats, who have no prospects and no future. You claim to be protectors of this Galaxy and yet you have done nothing but wage war on your superiors and force us to resort to murder in order to maintain the necessary control. Without it, we would all collapse.” 

“You are not my superior! And don’t talk like you know a thing about us and what we do! We care for people!”

“You carry disease…and you poison the minds of those who would rise up against our regime.”

“Yours? Look around. You’re not one of them anymore.” Rose stated, matter-of-factly, pointing around the cell. 

Hux eventually closed his mouth and stared at the cell around him. The girl was right, as much as he hated to admit it. It was pathetic, how a man of his value ended up in the rebels’ cell, fighting with one of the most argumentative and insufferable technicians. 

He despised Pryde in a way he hadn’t despised anyone beforehand. He would have done anything to see him suffer, for the way he ended up.

True that no one forced him to betray the First Order, the only true home he had ever known. But he didn’t have much of a choice in the matter. Pryde would have gotten rid of him shortly. He knew it. And at the time, he thought the only possible way to defeat Kylo Ren, was to give the Resistance scum the information they needed against him. 

“Rose. We have to go. The others will finish their lunch soon. We need to be seen somewhere far away from this cell.” Rey finally said, after a few minutes of silence. She looked over at Ben and smiled when she saw how tired he was. He needed rest. 

“I’ll see you soon, okay? And I will tell those two kriffing idiots outside to bring you something to eat.” Rey whispered, cupping his cheek and kissing him again, Ben humming softly at the display of affection. 

“Take care, sweetheart.” he told her, pressing a final kiss against her palm, before she stepped away.

Rose turned around and headed for the cell door. 

“Wait!” Hux called after her and the petite girl huffed and turned around, annoyed.

“How am I supposed to eat this?” the ginger head asked, showing his restrains. 

“It’s not my problem. You figure it out!” Rose told him with a smirk and turned back around, following Rey outside and letting the cell door shut itself with a hiss. 

“Of course.” Hux mumbled, disgruntled. Moving his feet, he kicked the tray in frustration. 

He couldn’t care less that he barely had enough left to eat. Although he wasn’t accustomed to such treatment, he figured he would survive the night. And he would not dare give that rebellious rodent the satisfaction of thinking that he induced great pain and made real efforts to eat the meal she dumped on the floor. He still had his pride…perhaps. 

…

“You really should have let me electrocute him. At least, I wouldn’t have been forced to hear him insult me. Did you hear what he said?!”

Rose was absolutely outraged after her interaction with Hux. Moreover, she couldn’t understand why she was so eager to help Rey with this “special project” as she called it. It meant betraying the rest of her friends. It meant betraying Finn…and they were already having quite a few problems. And by problems, that meant him ignoring her and spending all his time with either Poe or Rey.

“Rey, are you listening to me? I still can’t believe that I am helping you go through with this. They are murderers! Both of them have high prices on their heads. The Supreme Leader and his lead General!”

“Be quiet, Rose. We can’t let anyone else hear.” Rey hissed at her, as they continued walking towards the canteen. She wondered whether or not Poe, Finn and Kaydel noticed that they were missing. Hopefully not. That way, it would be easy for Rey to determine the appropriate moment to visit Ben in his cell again. 

Their bond was already humming, the Force angry because of her departure. She knew that she wanted to stay with him just as badly. But she couldn’t appear to be a traitor to the New Republic, especially now that they were so close to eliminating the First Order once and for all. 

They no longer had a Supreme Leader and Pryde was not a fearful opponent. True, he was more calculated than Hux, however it was Hux’s impulsiveness that had won him many of his battles against the Resistance. And the former General was not an idiot, even though Rey sometimes got the idea that he was pretending to be, to give his opponents a false impression. Pryde was not impulsive and his intentions were clear.

“We need to make sure that we have access to that cell at least once a day. I need to make sure that Ben gets sufficient nourishment. He has never been a prisoner before. He has never tasted prison food, he doesn’t know what it is like to feel dirty, to starve…”

“Okay, but Rey…” Rose was prepared to ask more questions but she was cut off. 

“Rose, I love him. I know it is difficult for you to understand, but I really need your help with this. He never had a chance at a normal life. From the minute he was born, he was controlled. I…I want him to be happy. I want to be happy with him. Kylo Ren was never him. His actions were not his own. Snoke, Palpatine, all of them, they used him and created the persona Kylo Ren for their own benefit. They helped turn him against his parents. I never felt about anyone the way I feel about him.”

After a while of listening, Rose’s face softened. She never perceived Kylo Ren as someone the way Rey described. Perhaps he never wanted this. Perhaps he was just like Finn, placed on the wrong path by others meant to control him. They gave Finn a second chance, why not Ben Solo, Leia’s own son?

“I understand.” Rose whispered and nodded. “I will help you, Rey. I’ll do what I can. I just don’t know how I will be able to keep all of this from Finn.”

“We’ll manage somehow. Nathar and Claale will be at their posts outside that cell everyday. All I care about is making sure that no one does Ben any harm.”

“And what about Hux?”

Rey frowned, having forgotten all about him. “Well, he was our secret informant…he gave the Resistance valuable information. Without it, we would have never been able to defeat Palpatine.” 

“But that doesn’t mean that he should get the same treatment as Ben Solo. You heard how he spoke about us. He didn’t turn to our cause. He was just doing this spy thing for his own benefit. And he can’t leave now. The word must have reached the First Order that he’s a turncoat. So, what are we going to do? One good deed does not erase the rest.”

Rey ran her hand through her hair, tired, a habit she got from Ben. “I don’t know. We’ll see how the trial goes. I only want to make sure that at the end of this whole thing, they let me and Ben walk away. He was not responsible for his actions and he can spend the rest of his life making up for everything. He has lived with guilt and punishment his entire life. As for Hux, I want you to keep an eye on him and serve him his meals.”

“What? ME?!” Rose grabbed Rey’s arm in anger and hissed, “I can’t do that.”

“Why not? What’s the worst that can happen?”

Rose scoffed and walked away towards the canteen, muttering, “I will end up biting something other than his finger or worse.”

She didn’t want that pompous and conniving snake to be her responsibility. But for now, if they were going to go along with the plan to keep Ben Solo from being punished for his actions, someone was going to have to keep an eye on the two-faced ginger headed bastard! She just hated that it had to be her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, guys! Leave a comment and tell me what you think. I am really having fun writing Hux and Rose.


	3. Habits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben, Hux, Rey and Rose find themselves repeating the same patterns. Would anything change eventually?

In the next couple of days, they had fallen in a routine. Rey and Rose waited until Nathar and Claale assumed their posts outside the cell door, with trays of food and drinks in their hands, before finally messing up with their minds and letting them in. Rose would always look impressed by the way Rey used her Jedi tricks to get by. 

Finn, Poe and the others were always at the cafeteria, having their own lunch, and Rey and Rose would always make up different excuses as to why they couldn’t join them. Holding their own trays, side by side, and walking in the halls together, Rose would always pester Rey with questions either about her relationship with Ben or about how she was supposed to handle Hux until the trial. Rey would barely respond, choosing to be focused on getting Ben out of that cell as soon as possible. 

As soon as they would enter the cell and have the door hiss shut behind them, Ben would smile at seeing Rey, as she would bend down and feed him his lunch, help him drink and promise him that she would find a way to get rid of those restrains. 

He needed to feel the Force again…they were connected. Even if they were physically together for a period of time everyday, it was still necessary for them to feel each other through their Bond. 

Hux was having the worst of times, having to accept the way Rose slammed the tray at his feet, spilling half the food and the way she smirked as she watched him struggle to pick up anything and bringing it to his mouth as water dripped all over his face.

She would watch his struggle, unfazed, he would start insulting her, she would start screaming, at which point both Rey and Ben would warn them to be quiet, as to not let anyone know what was going on.

Rose would stomp out of the cell, Rey would apologize to Ben, kiss him goodbye and leave as well. Following that, Ben and Hux would start insulting each other, the only thing preventing Ben from wringing his neck being those powerful restrains. 

…

“They will be here soon. Behave yourself.” Ben warned him on the fourth day of their imprisonment together. 

“She will throw that tray at my feet again and I will be forced to retrieve the food in these restrains. This is cruel and undeserving punishment, especially for all I have sacrificed in order to prevent the death of her pathetic little Resistance members as well as giving away valuable information…”

“Yes! I have been listening to you talk about your sacrifice for the past four days. Just because you decided to use your heart for one moment…” 

“Don’t be stupid, Ren! I was doing it for my own benefit! How many times must I explain myself?” 

“You didn’t have to save Dameron, or Chewie…” 

“Those two oafs were needed in order to execute my plan. Just proves that they would have never been able to get away and manage to create a new base without help from inside the First Order. And they repay me by having me locked up with the person I wanted to destroy through my betrayal.” 

Ben smirked as he leaned his head back against the wall. They have been having the same types of conversations for the past few days. Hux trying to explain his betrayal and Ben realizing for the first time, that despite his reasons, Hux did something right for the first time in his life. And even if the choices he made in his life would cost him his life, he at least had one final good deed to add to his life actions. 

The smirk left Ben’s face, as he realized what they both would face. Execution. There was no other possible punishment for the former Supreme Leader and lead General of the First Order. Snoke was dead, Palpatine was dead…and they would soon follow. He knew he loved Rey with all his heart and despite the fact that she returned that love, she wouldn’t be able to save him during that trial. There were so many of his past actions that could be used to incriminate him.

Dameron and the ex-Stormtrooper would certainly use that information to their advantage. They hate him…and they would hate him even more if they found out about the nature of his relationship with Rey. 

Death would be awaiting him. But Ben knew that any other punishment would end up being life imprisonment with no visitor. He would rather die than have to spend the rest of his miserable life without Rey. He already lost his mother. He couldn’t bare to lose Rey too. 

“What are you thinking about?” Ben snapped out of his thoughts when he realized that Hux was speaking to him. 

Sighing, Ben looked at his former subordinate and realized there would certainly be no harm in telling him the truth. Despite knowing that the Resistance’s cause still stood firmly due to the ginger head’s help, he still hated Hux. But he needed to speak to someone about this. And for now, he was the only option.

“Death.” was all Ben whispered, as he locked eyes with the former General. 

Hux bit his tongue and nodded, slowly. “Indeed…that is what awaits us.” 

They remained silent for a couple more moments, either looking at each other or staring at the walls around them. Hux knew what was coming for him. There would be no escape. Not this time. Execution…precisely the death that always awaited those who rebelled against the First Order when Snoke was in charge. He admittedly never had a problem with ridding the Galaxy of vermin. Resistance members were the lowest of the low…uncultured, filthy, obnoxious…he despised them. 

But he was following orders…just like their opponents would soon follow their superior’s orders to execute the two heads of the First Order. War was terrible, lots of lives wasted, unnecessary death…you had to choose a side. And whichever side you were on, you would be branded a traitor. It was rare that people would truly understand the power of the First Order and all the advantages of having it in charge.

Snoke was a selfish ruler who only desired power for himself. Hux knew that if he were given the chance to become Supreme Leader, he would have done things differently. He would not waste lives, but put them to better use. However, there were critical times when execution would be necessary to protect a cause…and it seems the Resistance believed the same. 

At that moment, the cell door slid open and in walked the scavenger. She was carrying her usual tray with a nutritious meal, but also two buckets of water and ointments. Her hair was styled differently…completely let loose, passing her shoulders a little and it was curled. Hux could see the smile on Ben’s face when he saw her, but at the same time, he was suspicious. What could have provoked such a change? 

“Sweetheart…your hair…” Ben whispered, tiredly, as she sat down next to him and placed a card on his restrains. They immediately fell apart and released their captor. Ben sucked in a deep breath and his eyes were wide, feeling the Force rush through him for the first time in a couple of days. 

Rey ignored his remark and pulled his black shirt over his head, revealing the bruises which were now beginning to heal on their own. 

She wrinkled her nose and whispered, “Despite the fact that they let you relieve yourself of wastes once in a while, they refused to let you use a sonic. So, I will wash you now. You need it.” 

“Rey, you don’t have to do this.” he whispered. He did feel a little better without those restrains. He watched the way she rubbed the rags all over his body, using some kind of plant leaves, petals…dumping them in the buckets before washing him carefully. 

“Yes, I do. You can’t keep this up. You need to look fresh. I will tend to your bruises right after.” Rey insisted and kissed his cheek, before resuming her work. 

Ben smirked as he watched how determined she was to do this. Nothing would stand in her way. Suddenly, he grabbed a hold of her hands, a mischievous look on his face, as he threw away the rags and pulled him towards her. She straddled him with a giggle and caressed his cheeks gently. He leaned in and connected their lips in a fiery kiss. 

Rey was shocked. It was the first time she was experiencing this Ben Solo. His impulsiveness and dominance kind of reminded her of Kylo Ren…but she didn’t mind. Kylo Ren was a fabrication of Snoke and Palpatine…but she knew that there was a certain darkness in Ben Solo that has been there since he was born. There was darkness in her too. 

She could never admit it to him…but she knew that she fell in love with Kylo Ren for the first time. She only knew things about Ben Solo, but she never met him. She cared for and loved Kylo Ren, sensing his desire to go back to who he was before. She wanted to help him…and she did. She succeeded.

And now, she needed him to be free. She knew how difficult it would be…and it would be unfair to the many who suffered at the hands of Kylo Ren…but this man is not him. And even with the darkness inside him, she knew Ben Solo was a gentle soul. She felt it in her heart. 

Ben continued kissing her deeply, eliciting several moans from Rey, as she ran her hands over his now wet chest. This was the first time Ben could take control of the situation and kiss her himself. This was the first time he could express his feelings, their bond hummed and he felt free for the first time. 

There were no dark voices in his mind, leading him away from what he truly wanted. There was only her voice. The only voice he desired. Finally breaking away from their kiss, Ben ran his large hand through her wavy hair and smiled, saying “You’re so beautiful.” 

Rey grinned and bit her lip, looking a bit suspicious. “I know why you’re saying that. You’re wondering why I look like this.” 

“No. You were always beautiful. You could never see yourself. From the first moment we met that day in the forest, that was the only thought I was processing. And while you were sleeping in that interrogation room…the only thing I did was watch you and study everything about your body which makes you so desirable. But I would be lying if I said I wasn’t curious.” Ben told her, truthfully. He would never lie to her. She lacked proper nourishment from her years on Jakku, but despite that, she was very attractive. She was perfect in his eyes.

“Poe wants to have a party tonight. He’s sure we’re going to win tomorrow. Pryde’s days are numbered and you know Poe…his arrogance triumphs over every other quality he possesses.” Rey explained. 

“Yes, I know.” Ben responded, rolling his eyes. He wished he could be there with her. He wished he could hold her, dance with her, enjoy these precious moments of his life with her. If he were given such an opportunity, he would die a happy man. 

Rey rubbed her hands over his wrists to get the blood flowing. “I want you to have this card. It will unlock the restrains. But you need to make sure you’re not caught. When you hear someone approaching the cell, you need to put these back on and hide the card. I don’t want to know what might happen to you if you don’t. And they will know that I gave this to you.” 

“I will feel them approaching through the Force.” 

Hux was watching the two of them embrace, very closely. He was no longer frowning in disgust as he did in the last couple of days. But at the same time, he was still very much annoyed by the display of affection. He had never seen Ren act this way. But of course, he needed to remind himself that this man was Ben Solo, a person he didn’t know. 

Suddenly, Hux remembered that there was one more person in that cell and he threw his hands up to cover his face just as the tray fell at his feet. The milk was splattered over his hands and he sighed, putting them down and frowning at the young woman before him. 

Rose’s hair was let down and looking just as curled up as Rey’s, making him assume that she was invited to this premature party as well. 

“This seems to become a slightly deranged habit.” Hux wanted his statement to sound bitter, however there was a trace of amusement in his tone, which Rose noticed. 

“No less than you deserve!” Rose snapped and leaned down, starting to place some of the food back on the tray.

He noticed this small amount of kindness but didn’t say anything. He sighed, leaning his head against the wall. He was bored out of his mind in a cell with only Ben Solo, formerly Kylo Ren to talk to. The Universe certainly had an odd but deserving way of punishing him for his actions, even though his last decision allowed the Resistance to get away.

Hux eyed Rose carefully, as she placed the food back on the tray, and finally pushed it against his feet, standing up and looking over at Rey and Ben, who were once again sharing loving confessions to one another. Some might say that they looked disgustingly happy like that together, but Rose didn’t mind to watch. She would often do that and realize that bending the rules for Ben Solo, was certainly worth Rey’s risk.

She only wished that she would have someone to look at her like that one day. Rose believed that eventually, once the war would finally be over, Finn would be the one. He would get over his shyness and sweep her off her feet. They would be immensely happy together.

“Won’t I be entitled to some cleaning?” Hux asked her with all seriousness. Rose frowned and looked over at him.

“No. You won’t be allowed to use a refresher except for bodily waste emergencies…and they certainly won’t let you use the sonic. That is for valued Resistance members only.” Rose snapped at him and crossed her hands over her chest.

“Miss Tico…”

“Don’t call me that!” Rose raised her voice a little and then looked worried at the cell door.

When she realized that nobody heard her, she leaned forward, until she was face to face with Hux and hissed, “You are the reason my sister is dead and…”

“Your sister?” Hux asked, curiously. 

“Yes, my sister, Paige. She was Resistance bomber. She died the day we were evacuating D’Qar, when you stopped our evacuation.” 

“Well, although my list of victims is quite numerous I can assure you that I have never personally executed a Paige Tico.”

“You may not have personally executed her, but you’re the reason she’s dead. You and the rest of the First Order. We were fighting for liberty, fighting for justice, trying to free everyone in the Galaxy from the hands of a murderous tyrant. Many lives were lost because of you and your regime.” Rose told him, without taking so much as a breath between sentences. 

Hux said nothing for a while. He just continued to eye her carefully.

Rose pulled back and Hux smirked, “Well you will certainly avenge your sister with my execution. You call us murderers, when clearly you are willing to give your captives the same fate simply for not appreciating your 

“You will get a fair punishment for crimes against the Galaxy!”

“That’s only a point of view, Miss. Tico. You and the rest of your barbarians are no saints. You murdered your own fair share of my troopers. You and I are not very different.”

“We are very different!”

They said nothing the rest of the visit. Rose was unwilling to admit that Hux did have a point. After all, wasn’t she the one who insisted that day on Crait that they would win the war not by killing the people they hate, but by saving the people they love?

Rey finished cleaning Ben up, they shared a final kiss, before leaving with Rose, the cell door closing with a hiss behind them. 

“How clean you must feel right now, Solo!” Hux smirked and shook his head.

“I love her. But of course, that is something someone like you can’t possibly understand, Hux.” 

“Love…makes you weak.” Hux stated, but there was no longer any satisfaction felt in his tone when he said that. It was more like sadness.

“I don’t need your comments on my relationship with Rey! And you will stay out of this! Focus on your own problems…General.” 

Hux frowned at his snide remark and his decision to call him General, simply to remind him what he no longer is. He is a defector, a deserter, a nobody called Armitage Hux. 

There was movement that could have been heard from outside the cell. Ben’s eyes immediately snapped open from his reverie and he put on his restrains, hiding the card just like Rey instructed. The Force was drained from his body but he didn’t mind. He knew he would be able to relieve himself of the pain as soon as whoever was coming would leave. 

Nathar and Claale, their “jailors” entered the cell. Each of them was holding a blaster. They had smug looks on their faces, something which made both prisoners a bit nervous.

“General Hux! Poe Dameron instructs us to move you to a separate cell. Stand up!” 

“What? Why?” Hux asked, outraged. He looked over at Ben, who simply shrug his shoulders. He hated to admit it, but he preferred to be in the company of Ben Solo, rather than be stuck alone, with no one to talk to or argue with. 

“Get up! And move it, ginger! We don’t need you and this guy right here exchanging information.” Nathar exclaimed and pointed his blaster at him. Hux silently stood up and walked over to them, knowing it would be best not to act irrationally.

Claale grabbed him and led him outside. Hux looked back and exchanged one final look with Ben before the door hissed shut. 

“Where are you taking me?” Hux asked, gritting his teeth.

The answer soon came to him when he saw that they were approaching a separate cell down the hall. It was different and much smaller. If he were claustrophobic, he knew he wouldn’t have survived. He was thrown inside just like the last time, and his head hit the wall. 

A bit of blood dropped from his fresh wound, as he leaned back and watched Nathar and Claale smirk, shake their heads and leave, closing the door and locking it. Hux was left alone, pondering how he was going to handle solitude. He figured it wouldn’t be much different from his old life. He never had anyone close to talk to…except his cat. He missed Millicent, though he would never admit it to anyone. He wondered what might have happened to her.

…

2 days later

…

“Poe’s special party was insane. And you’re saying that he wants to throw another one?” Rose asked, as she worked on repairing some X-Wings. She was no longer wearing her mechanic suit, thinking it was making her look kind of…un-feminine. And she started wearing her hair down more often. Rey was noticing that change, but decided not to question it.

Rose was grateful. Rey was her new best friend and they got along great since they started working on the “special project” but nevertheless, she didn’t want her to know that she was trying her hardest to attract a man in her life. She felt that she was not pretty enough.

She remembered that Paige always turned heads whenever she walked by. Her face was pleasant and her smile was amazing. Every guy wanted her. Rose was the smaller one, the less attractive one, the approachable one. That was her entire life in a nutshell. She was not Rose Tico. She was Rose, Paige Tico’s little sister.

“Yeah…he’s insane.” Rey nodded in agreement. She was back to wearing Jedi robes and her classic three buns. She felt comfortable that way. But at the same time, those three buns reminded her of her past life. They reminded her that she spent the majority of her life alone. And she knew that she never wanted to feel that way again. Which is why she would save Ben. She would save him and they would leave together. Somewhere…the Galaxy was big enough. 

“Was it just me or was he checking you out?” Rose asked, her eyebrow raised, as she paused whatever she was doing.

Rey scoffed and shook her head, taking a sip of her drink. “That’s old news. Poe likes any pretty thing. Did you notice the way he was flirting with Kaydel all night?” 

“And Finn was his sidekick. He barely talked to me.” Rose agreed, sitting on her knees, near that X-Wing, deep in thought. 

Rey didn’t say anything. She understood Rose’s frustration. It seemed that Finn no longer cared about anything other than whatever Poe was doing. She sometimes wondered if…but no, it couldn’t be. Finn was into Rose. He had to be. They shared a kiss on Crait…but it might have been more unrequited.

“On another note…did you remember to give Hux his meal for the day?” Rey decided to change the subject. She couldn’t say that she didn’t like the idea that Ben and Hux were now in separate cells. Despite turning spy for them, Rey didn’t trust Hux, not one bit. And she knew how much Ben hated him. It was better this way.

“I haven’t been delivering it to him for the past three days. Poe said Claale and Nathar would handle it, after I offered.” Rose explained and sighed in frustration as her mechanical ingenuity didn’t seem to help her with this one particular X-Wing. 

“What? Why?” Rey asked, surprised. She was scared that Poe or some other Resistance members could be onto them, and they might not want them interfering anymore. 

“I don’t know. But I’m personally glad that I don’t have to do it anymore. I can’t stand to see that arrogant piece of…”

“Rose, you have to go and talk to him.”

“Why should I? You said that this plan of yours involves Ben. It’s Ben that we need to save.” Rose stated and Rey nodded her head.

“Yes, but I also told you that we need to keep an eye on Hux. He is still dangerous. And he holds valuable information about the First Order that we could use. We need to make sure that he is not losing his mind in that cell. I can imagine that all of this is a big change for him after being supplied with three delicious meals a day and undivided attention from his subordinates all his life.” 

“But can’t you do it?” Rose whined and gave her the puppy eyes. Today was supposed to be a good day for her. She did not want to deal with Hux. 

Rey smiled and shook her head. “Please. You told me you would help me. I’ll handle Nathar and Claale and you just go and see him. Nothing else. Stay there for a couple of minutes and leave. It’s better than having to deliver him food secretly.” 

Sighing, the mechanic nodded and rubbed her hands together. “Fine…but I have a bad feeling about all of this.”

…

The so-called “jailors” walked away to the cafeteria to get some lunch of their own, and this was Rose’s chance. She had the password and thus, she easily slipped inside the cell as the door hissed open. 

It was quiet. That made Rose uneasy as she turned around. “Hux?”

He was hunched over against the corner, his eyes closed and his lips parted. He was breathing in and out deeply…too deeply.

Rose approached him slowly and said his name again. Nothing. There was no response. What was happening? Why wasn’t he saying anything?

She placed her hands on his shoulders and shook him slightly. She was scared…and she didn’t even know the reason why. She said his name again and he shuddered. 

His eyes finally flew open. Gasping, his restrained hands reached out towards her in desperation. 

“Water.” was all he whispered.

“What?”

“Water. Water.” he mumbled.

Rose’s eyes widened as she watched him. She didn’t know what to think. Slowly, she turned back around and headed for the door.

“Water…please.”

This stopped her in her tracks. He was begging? Hux? General Hux of the First Order? This actually made her bolt out the cell door to get a glass of water at once. All the while, she was thinking, what was happening?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading guys! Leave a comment and tell me what you think!


	4. Critical

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose and Hux find themselves in an uncomfortable situation to say the least. Ben is visited by someone unexpected, while inside his cell, while Rey shares some critical information with him about the Resistance's future. Finally, after much deliberation, Rose is forced to reveal to Hux what she has been keeping from him...and from everyone else.

In no time, she was back with a glass of water. She couldn’t even remember where she found it. She was so distressed by what was happening. Hux coughing, his face pale, his lips were dry…not that she had been looking at his lips…and the way he begged her for water was something that she couldn’t easily forget. She was rushing back to the cell, Claale and Nathar nowhere in sight.

Kaydel walked past her and said hello but Rose wouldn’t hear it. She knew that she just needed to get back soon. She needed to get back and get to the bottom of this. 

Rose slid inside, making sure that no one saw her, and pressed the necessary buttons in order to shut the door behind her. Turning back around, she saw that Hux was still hunched over, his lips parted and it looked like he was barely keeping his eyes open.

She was confused, sitting down next to him, looking into his eyes, the glass of water in her hand. Rose slowly cupped his cheek and placed the glass on lips, helping him drink up the whole glass. He drank it up immediately. The whole thing. Rose’s eyes widened as his cheek heated up under her palm. 

“Those…idiots…” Hux muttered and pretty much ruined the moment, as Rose scoffed and took her hand away. 

“What’s going on? What are you up to, forcing me to run around, getting you drinks?” 

“It just so happens that your so-called friends have not brought me food or water for the past two days.” Hux whispered softly, apparently not having enough strength to make this a snide remark. 

“What are you talking about?”

“You heard me, Miss. Tico.” 

She bit her lip and thought it through. She never trusted Claale and Nathar and they hated Hux with every fiber of their being. Of course they would do something like this. Rose sighed and placed her hand on her forehead in concern, not knowing how to handle this. Nothing has changed. Hux was still a criminal who needed to face trial…but he couldn’t exactly face trial if he was dead.

“You have stopped bringing me my meals.” Hux suddenly pointed out. 

“True.”

“May I ask why?” 

“Because Poe and the others already noticed that I visited you too often. They don’t want me to interfere anymore. So, Claale and Nathar have to be your jailors and bring you your food from now on.”

“And the way I see it, they have obviously not fulfilled their obligations!” Hux snapped, licking his lips and finally returning to his old self. 

“Ah, the old General Hux is back! So, the whole begging was completely out of character for you, right?” 

Hux said nothing as he angrily looked away, realizing his mistake. The young Miss Tico had caught him in a much too vulnerable state. He disliked the idea. He never wished to let his guard down like that, but there was never a time in which he would lack food and water. Since the moment he was born, he had everything.

“Water is vital…” he started explaining, knowing full well that it wasn’t really helping him.

“Yeah…and I should feel honored that I witnessed the esteemed General of the First Order mouthing the first "please" in his entire life.” 

“That is not…true!” Hux started protesting, looking as if he was almost pouting. 

He was a 35 year old man, Rose Tico was 11 years younger, and she was completely disarming him. He was used to having an answer for everything. He was used to being the one in charge, the one to dominate his subordinates. He couldn’t do that with her. In fact, it wouldn’t be the first time.

Hux remembered that day on the Supremacy, the moment she was awaiting her execution, her eyes were full of defiance and despite knowing that she was moments away from dying, she continued to resist him…and also bit his finger. That moment shocked him. No one ever had that kind of courage. And there was something about her resistance…which enticed him. It fascinated him. And he would have never admitted it to anyone, but when he discovered that she had escaped, he was not displeased at the idea of seeing her again.

Rose sighed and suddenly realized how close she was to him, still on her knees, still holding the empty glass, her face still very close to his. She really needed to get out of here before she got into anymore trouble.

“I’ll talk to Rey and see what we can do. You need to be alive so you can face your trial.” 

“Yes, yes. Keep the scavenger informed so that she will report back to Solo. As if I haven’t been humiliated enough already.” 

“Rey spent all her life on Jakku without much food or water and she survived. You have been pampered all your life but that’s about to change and you better get used to that change.” Rose explained, rolling her eyes and heading towards the cell door.

“And do tell me, Miss Tico, why would I bother?”

Rose turned around and frowned, asking “What do you mean?”

“Going without food, insufficient water…the trial…they all have the same result. My death. Why prolong the inevitable? Just so you would get the pleasure of seeing me suffer?” 

Hux was waiting for her answer, not moving from the corner and his eyes not leaving her face. She was in deep thought. It wasn’t as though he wasn’t right. Maybe he was. Maybe they were all just prolonging the inevitable. Ben did have a shot of being saved from execution. Rey was building his defense…and she had the means to use her Jedi manipulation even though she was afraid of resorting to such measures. But what about Hux? Surely he couldn’t be saved. It wasn’t her call after all.

“I don’t enjoy it.” Rose whispered and left the cell, not looking back. 

…

Rose needed to find Rey. And not only that. She needed to finally do something and put Nathar and Claale in their place. As if the Force had purposely put them in her path, Rose stopped and tapped her foot angrily, seeing that Claale and Nathar were laughing, throwing food at each other and going back to the cell, to do their job.

“Hey! You!” Rose called out and surprised the two. They stared at her as though she had grown three heads all of a sudden.

“Problem, Rose?” Claale asked her and watched her put her hands on her hips and scrunch up her nose. “I know what you guys did and if you don’t stop, I am going to report it.”

“What the kriff are you talking about?”

“The food and water…for Hux. I know that you didn’t do your job. And I will tell Poe…”

“The former General needs to see how suffering feels like. In fact, Poe agreed with us. If you have a problem with the new arrangements, I say you take it up with him.”

“Poe agreed?” Rose asked, incredulously. 

“It was his idea.” Nathar responded, making Rose’s eyes widen with shock.

She couldn’t believe it…Hux saved Poe’s life. And this is the treatment he gets? She knows of his past deeds. She knows everything. But keep a man starved and without water so he would feel on the brink of dying just to teach him a lesson, is not the way Rose would have handled this. 

“Alright. I’ll find…Poe.” Rose finally told them, and eyed the cell door cautiously. 

She didn’t want to raise any suspicions. What would happen if she started concerning herself too much with the prisoner’s condition? She didn’t know how long she could go on and on about how they need him alive for the trial set up. But come to think of it…she couldn’t remember the last time Poe or the others mentioned a trial.

Truth be told, they were focused on tracking down the remains of the First Order fleet. Just the other day, Poe had launched an attack, thinking that offense would be the best defense, so he set up the best pilots, along with himself, took off using all their X-Wings and what was left of their supplies, and lost the fleet in hyperspace. 

General Pryde, having ten times as many resources was smart enough to know when to back off. And the confrontation also brought an advantage for the First Order. They had discovered that the Resistance had set up their base on D’Qar once more, thinking that it would be the last place in which the First Order would look for them.

They were right…for a while. That was before Poe Dameron started playing the hero and through his attack, pretty much exposed them. Now, they had only a few days to evacuate. Kaydel and Finn were on board with the idea but the same thing couldn’t be said about Poe. 

Pryde’s fleet was incredibly weakened and they couldn’t afford to launch another attack on D’Qar for the moment, but the fact that they knew where the entire Resistance was located, was incredibly dangerous. Kaydel was becoming very frustrated with Poe’s leadership skills and started hoping that Leia Organa would somehow return to them.

….

“Ben.” There was a soft voice that called out to him. He was leaning against the wall, fast asleep when he heard it. It was like a beautiful melody. His restrains were off and for a moment, Ben believed that Rey was here, calling out to him. Their bond must have been open.

He opened his eyes with a smile, but he didn’t see Rey. He saw something he never thought he would…it was his mother, as a Force Ghost. She was alone. She looked down at him and smiled. He was shocked for a moment, so he didn’t know how to respond. 

“My sweet boy is back.” she whispered and leaned forward to place a ghostly hand on his cheek. “Mom.” Ben whispered, in shock. 

“I had to come see you. I hope you are no longer angry with me.” Leia stated and a frown crossed her features. She was determined to play it tough, even now, as a Force Ghost. It was like one moment, she was happy to see her child and the next, she was scolding him. 

Ben smirked and shook his head. “I miss you.” He whispered to her, truthfully, which made Leia’s frown disappear and a smile was once again formed by her lips. She looked so serene, so at peace. Ben knew that he also wanted to see his father…somehow. Unfortunately, he was unable to appear as a Force Ghost before him, never having been connected to the Force itself.

“I came here to tell you that I am very proud of you. The past remains the past. What matters is what you do as Ben Solo, not as Kylo Ren.” Leia explained.

“It doesn’t matter anymore, mother. I will be executed shortly after the trial. The wait is simply a formality and a possibility for me to be tortured through solitude and starvation.” Ben told her, sadly.

Leia rolled her eyes and hissed, “Don’t be so dramatic, Ben. You will not be executed. Rey will make sure of it.”

“How do you know?” he asked her, curiously. “I have already spoken with her. Luke has too. And she seems quite confident. She already knows where she plans to take you…when you will be freed.” 

“Where?” Ben demanded to know. He really had no idea what Rey was up to. Leia just smirked mischievously and shook her head. “I will not spoil her surprise. Oh, but she’s a wonderful girl, Ben. I am so happy to see your relationship progressing. She truly loves you. And I know that you love her. You were ready to die for her.” 

Ben’s eyes were full of hope at hearing that and his heart stopped. To hear his mother tell him that she gives them her blessing, made him the happiest he had ever been. He loved Rey. He wanted to stay with her for the rest of his life. But he just couldn’t imagine how that would be possible. 

“I do love her.” he whispered, acknowledging that for himself. “And I also worry about her.” 

“Why?” asked Leia. 

“Because Palpatine told her that she was his kin…his granddaughter.”

“That corpse lied. She is not from that family. He was trying to turn her. But her will is strong. And she did not stop fighting for what is right, despite being confused. I am sure she knows that Palpatine was lying. His main goal has always been to destroy our family. He ruined the love between my parents, he used your grandfather, dehumanized him, then tried to turn and kill your uncle…I am lucky that I was never a target. But I had no idea that you would be…since the moment I carried you in my belly. I am so sorry, Ben. I am your mother. I should have known.” 

“It isn’t your fault. It’s true that I would have preferred to be given the necessary attention from both my parents…” 

“Han and I were never meant to be parents. I know that now. He knows that. We were both terrible. But we were still lucky to have you even for a short period of time. And regardless what happened between you and Luke…just know…he loves you as if you were his own son.” Leia confessed. 

Ben didn’t know what to believe about his Uncle Luke. He hadn’t seen him since that day on Crait, when he vanished. And he felt it even there…that he had died. Luke practically promised that he would not leave him alone. But Ben hadn’t seen him since. And even now, he didn’t appear beside his mother. 

He was prepared to ask about his uncle for the first time, when the cell door opened and in walked Rey with a tray. Ben smiled when he saw that it wasn’t that disgusting prison food. She must have stolen a lot of delicious treats from the cafeteria. 

Rey gasped and almost dropped the tray when she saw his mother floating there. She gathered herself and approached Ben steadily, setting down the tray in front of him and finally facing their guest.

“Leia.” Rey breathed. 

“I came to see my son. I had to know for myself that he well and cared for. Now I see that you have certainly done everything in your power to comfort and support him. Thank you so much, Rey.” Leia smiled at her.

Rey just shook her head and gazed at Ben with loving eyes. “You don’t have to thank me for it. He is with me now. We’re…together.” she whispered, unsure of how to express their relationship in front of Leia. 

Ben decided to make it easy for her and leaned in, pressing a sweet kiss on her lips, before whispering in her ear, “I love you, sweetheart.” 

“I love you, too.” Rey didn’t hesitate to say it back to him at once. She was worried that he didn’t know how much he meant to her, how much he would always mean to her. 

They were connected by the Force, destined for each other, and they would spend the rest of their lives together. Rey refused to go back to the way it was for her before she got involved with the Resistance for the first time.

“I will leave you two now. You will need some privacy. But I will be back. And perhaps, Luke will be with me. May the Force be with you, Ben…Rey.” Leia finally vanished, after saying those words. 

Realizing that they were finally alone, Rey climbed in Ben’s lap and smirked, slowly taking the delicious cream soup and started feeding him as if he were a baby. She just loved taking care of him. She grinned when she saw his reaction to the taste. 

“How did you manage to get this for me?” 

“Easy. I told them I had a lot of work to do and I was taking this for myself. You should have seen the look Finn gave me. But lucky for me, they didn’t follow me to see where I was going with the tray. Don’t worry. Nathar and Claale won’t bring you any of those nasty prison portions anymore. I messed with their heads again.” Rey responded, clearly having fun with their current situation.

Ben chuckled and took another spoonful. “How is Hux holding up? I haven’t heard from him for a while.”

“Rose is going to visit him from time to time now. We need someone reliable who can keep an eye on him. But he’s not our main concern for the moment. Pryde and the rest of the First Order captains know that we’re back on D’Qar. Poe, reckless as he is, gave them our location when he launched an attack. Fortunately for us, they are too weak to attack us now. But we need to evacuate.” Rey explained and looked worried.

Ben ran his hand through her curls and comforted her as best as he could. “And when will we evacuate?” 

“We won’t. Poe doesn’t want to. He wants to stay here and get ready to launch another attack on them when they come. He’s very difficult. Kaydel has been fighting with him all day. We can’t stay here. We don’t have the necessary nourishment and supplies left and I doubt we even have enough credits to get them from here. We need to leave. The First Order fleet may not be as strong as before, especially now that they are missing their Supreme Leader and lead General but…we are not ready to face them again.”

“It seems to me that Dameron needs to step aside and let someone else take over.” Ben stated and clenched his fists. He never liked that man. He knew he was complicated, undisciplined and reckless. He would lead the entire Resistance to disaster and the hope of building a new Republic would be diminished. 

“Rey, you must do something.” Ben told her, taking her hand in his and looking at her seriously. 

“I would have, but the majority of our Resistance members are siding with Poe. That’s how democracy works, Ben. Many times it is completely unfair, but we can’t resort to dictatorship.” 

“Dictatorship gets things done.” Ben mumbled and looked away, a little annoyed. He couldn’t believe that he said that, even after all he’s been through as Kylo Ren. But despite the many faults of that persona, he knew that if he snapped his fingers, his orders would be completed without a shred of doubt. 

He did inspire fear but at the same time, his leadership skills have been remarkable and Snoke had never doubted it. He had lead the First Order to several victories through his good and inspired decisions. It was wrong, for one person to command everything, but…Ben realized there was a lot of frustration growing in him. Because of Dameron’s incompetence, they would be destroyed. He knew Hux would side with him on this one.

Rey must have sensed his frustration because she set down the soup and pulled him in for a hug, pressing a kiss to his neck and relaxing him greatly.

“I understand. Believe me, I do. It’s your darkness taking over. But it does that to me too sometimes. I have thought about messing with Poe’s mind, but I can’t bring myself to do it. The majority want to stay and attack. We just have to accept that. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t make a plan of our own.” Rey told him and held him even tighter. 

Ben was once again reminded of his mother’s words…of what she said about Rey’s plan. He chose not to question it. Maybe the less he knew, the better. He trusted Rey to do what was right for her, and for them. 

…

Rose sat in her room and thought this whole thing through. She couldn’t tell him what she did. Or who she had in her room right now. He would hate her. Well, it’s not like he doesn’t hate her now…and it’s not like she cares. She hates him too. Just because that little water incident had them talking as human beings for once, that doesn’t mean that he was off the hook. 

The attack Poe had so stupidly launched against the First Order brought consequences. They had to evacuate but their new “General” was being impossible. Rey herself tried to reason with him, and when that didn’t work, she tried to reason with Finn. But as much as Finn was obsessed with Rey, he still supported Poe.

Come to think of it, she didn’t know if it was just her imagination but Finn and Poe had been getting kind of close lately…maybe very close. It was starting to make Rose feel uneasy. Maybe she was just jealous because Poe was receiving the attention from Finn that she wished she had.

Anyway…she thought about telling Rey about what she had in her room, but she didn’t think she would take it well. Only Poe knew. And that was because he wanted to sell the animal so he wouldn’t have to be bothered by it. BB-8 didn’t like her either.

Rose just couldn’t let the poor thing be sold off to Force knows who on this planet. She cared about animals very much. The First Order most likely was willing to get rid of her because of Hux’s betrayal. They dumped her on the planet when they were being attacked by the Resistance X-Wings. 

The creature was lucky not to be shot and killed, considering how their former General Hux changed sides when it was most critical for the First Order. Now, Rose had her in her room and she knew she would have to reveal her secret at some point. She didn’t care what the others would say. She could deal with them, especially Finn.

But she didn’t think that she would be able to deal with Hux and his reaction to finding out about this. Would he be grateful that Rose had her? Would he yell at her and demand that she bring him this creature?  
She didn’t know much about their relationship…only that she saw them together a few times before, in some holograms. Maybe she didn’t mean much to him. Either way, Rose knew that she was keeping her. She would take care of her and feed her properly, something that Hux clearly wouldn’t be able to do from a cell. 

Taking a deep breath, Rose picked up her new companion, and headed outside, looking around to make sure that nobody was passing by in the hall. She had a lot of work to do right now. But she felt that Hux had the right to know about what was going on. 

She slipped outside, carrying this companion of hers and headed over to the cell all the way in the back. The smallest one, so Hux would feel the most uncomfortable. She just hoped that Nathar and Claale wouldn’t be there.

Luckily, they weren’t. This made Rose relax a little, taking another few small steps and she opened the cell door, stepping inside and shutting it carefully behind her. The creature in her arms purred and then yawned. She was getting heavy.

Setting her down slowly, she meowed and immediately ran over to her owner. The cat hadn’t forgotten to whom she belonged. She could hear Hux gasp, and as she turned around, she saw the smallest of smiles form on his lips. There was only one word he breathed, “Millie.” 

The cat started purring and sat down on his lap, as Hux was fighting with his restrains so he could hold her properly. Afterwards, he realized who else was in that cell, and he looked up to meet Rose’s eyes. He wasn’t scowling at her…for the first time. He looked pleased. But she knew that he had some questions to which she needed to answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, guys! I thought that Millicent should be the turning point in Hux and Rose's relationship.
> 
> Leave a comment and tell me what you think.


	5. Defense and Offense

Rey was marching down the hall, her hands firm at her sides. It was time she took a stand. She knew how vital it was for her to talk some sense into Poe. She needed to make sure that he understood the danger that he constantly got them into. 

Technically, they had already won, the First Order armada was weakened. But Poe gave up their cover. Pryde and the rest weren’t supposed to know that they were back on D’Qar. They would get their supplies, refuel and come back to destroy them when they least expected. Rey couldn’t understand why Poe couldn’t see that.

She finally found him, in a heated argument with Kaydel. Rey bit her lip and wondered if she should intervene at that moment. She didn’t think she would get through to Poe, anymore than Kaydel could.

But then she thought of him. She thought of Ben. They were supposed to start their future together. She would fight for him at that trial and then everything would blow over. She knew what she was planning to do at that trial. She would make them all see that Ben Solo was not responsible for all the damage the First Order had done to the galaxy. She would make them understand who he is, how he was manipulated all his life, and how much he sacrificed just so he could come back…come back to her. 

However, just in case this didn’t go the way she hoped, she had a plan B reserved. She had calmed Leia when she was first surprised by her Force Ghost. She told her everything, so she would rest easy knowing that she will not allow her son to be executed. But this Plan B, she kept it to herself…and it all depended on Poe’s final decision.

Rey finally cleared her throat, making both Poe and Kaydel turn their heads and look at her in surprise. They hadn’t even noticed that she was there. 

“Poe, I want to talk. Now!” Rey told her, clenching her fists at her sides. She knew that she sounded harsh, but it had to be done. 

Kaydel let out a sigh and nodded her head, leaving the hall and not even bothering to say anything else to Poe. She knew she had to leave Rey to try to handle the situation. With both Holdo and Leia gone, Rey was pretty much the only person whom Poe showed at least a small amount of respect. Well, her and Finn.

Poe scoffed and shook his head, staring at the way Kaydel left. “Just look at her. I remember a time when she stood by me. Now all she does is drive me insane with her crazy theories.” He pointed a finger at Rey to stop her from talking.

“I know what you’re about to say, Rey and I don’t want to hear it!” 

“Oh, you’re going to hear it! We’ve all had enough. I didn’t say anything up until now. But I think I finally need to talk some sense into you. Unless you want me to question your position as General in front of everyone.” Rey stated, in a firm manner, just like she practiced. 

Poe was her friend. She didn’t want to be cruel, but these were drastic measures she was taking to help the man she loved. Ben rotted in that cell long enough and he needed a chance at a fair trial. If Poe did everything in his power to stop that trial from taking place by getting them all killed, then she would take matters into her own hands. But that was all reserved for Plan B.

She cared for Poe but she wasn’t selfish to admit that she was in love with Ben Solo. She would eventually let everyone know. And at this point in her life, she realized that there would come a time when she would be forced to choose between being with Ben and being with the Resistance. In her heart, she knew what her choice would be. It would be Ben.

Rey had waited for so long to have that one person in her life who would cherish, understand and love her. She waited and longed for a family. Han, Luke, Leia…they had been the family she desired, the family she had always dreamed of. And now, Ben…he represented the love she always wanted to feel, the love she wanted to have for herself. As much as the Resistance had offered her, her time as protector of the Galaxy was over. She wanted to start her life, and she would start it with Ben.

She snapped out of her trance when she saw Poe with an angry expression on his face and his lips moving. 

“Rey!”

“What?” she asked, confused.

“I asked you for how long you’re going to play this card.”

“What card?”

“The whole Jedi hero thing you have going on. I know you are using this to impress everyone and finally get things done your way. But everyone wanted me to be General.”

“Not everyone. It was a vote and majority won.” Rey whispered, calmly.

“Either way, I am General because I was chosen. I didn’t take this position on my own. And I know that it came with a lot of responsibility. Don’t think I don’t know what’s at stake. I know very well, Rey. But I showing all of these people what they should have when the First Order comes back. Bravery.”

Rey’s mouth parted and she would have laughed at Poe’s reasoning. This whole thing was just ridiculous. Did he even hear himself?

“You are thinking like a pilot right now, Poe, not a general. We were supposed to finish off the First Order fleet long ago. Now, we were supposed to focus on reconstructing the New Republic. And now, because of you, it’s possible we won’t get to see what a new Republic would look like.”

Poe scoffed and shook his head. “I don’t even know why I bother talking with you, Rey. All we’ve ever done is contradict each other.” 

“Then you might want to start to wonder why that is.” Rey snapped. 

Holding up his hands, Poe let of a huff and shook his head, saying, “I think this conversation is over. We are not leaving. We are staying here and finishing what we started. A lot of the people here agree with me.”

Rey nodded and said, “Then those will be the only people who will fight alongside you.”

Furrowing his eyebrows, Poe asked, “What are you talking about?” 

Rey simply shrugged and responded with “I thought you said the conversation is over.” 

At that precise moment, Finn walked over to them with a tray of food in his hands and he looked like he was chewing something he absolutely adored. 

“Hey!” he exclaimed, and waved, clearly unaware of the argument that was going on right in front of him. But as he stepped closer, he could feel the tension, and he stopped chewing, swallowing whatever had been in his mouth.

“So…” Finn started, expecting someone would fill him in. Neither Poe nor Rey said anything. Realizing that no one would give him any answers, he cleared his throat and decided to change the subject.

“Rey, have you seen Rose?”

This question really surprised her, and she raised an eyebrow, crossing her hands. Since when had this become a topic of conversation?

“Why do you want to know?” Rey asked, a sudden urge to protect the girl who had just recently become her friend and truly helped her out a lot...more than Finn ever did. Finn had avoided the subject of Rose up until now. In fact, Rey had been a spectator for weeks, feeling uncomfortable at the way Rose practically threw herself at him and Finn wouldn’t care. He wouldn’t even look her way.

Furrowing his eyebrows, Finn replied, “Why wouldn’t I want to know? She’s my friend.”

“Friend? Since when do you consider Rose a friend?” 

“What’s with all the questions? Look, I just want to talk to her. Do you know where she is.”

“I think she’s busy right now.”

Finn pursed his lips and he eyed her face carefully, knowing that something was going on.

“Rey, is something wrong?” he finally found the right question to answer.

Rolling her eyes, Rey told him, “If you don’t have any intention to pursue anything with Rose, then you shouldn’t be leading her on like this. Be a little reasonable.” 

Finn didn’t say anything at that moment. He simply turned his head to stare at Poe, who in turn, raised an eyebrow and then, shook his head.

Realizing that she wasn’t going to get anywhere with either of them, she turned around and walked away. She was tired of trying to reason with them. She missed how close she and Finn used to be as friends. She really did. But lately, they haven’t been connecting at all. It was as if they were starting to see each other differently. 

They had different goals. They had different perspectives. Not to mention, Finn was becoming even friendlier with Poe, which didn’t sit right with her. Rey decided to let this so-called brilliant plan of Poe’s be used against the First Order, knowing that it wouldn’t work. And when the time was right, she would take Ben and leave. 

Rey was not sure whether she should go and do some Jedi training or check on Rose. However, realizing that Rose had been locked up in that cell with Hux for a long while now, made her smirk a little. She decided to stick to training, eager to show Ben some new skills the next time she would visit him. She could only hope that it would not be long. 

…

“Millie.” Hux whispered and petted the cat that was now purring in his lap. 

Rose watched how Hux was managing holding his cat with difficulty, under the circumstances. He was still in chains. There was nothing she could do about that. 

She knew all along that this was his cat. And she didn’t know how to handle this. She didn’t know what others’ reaction would be. What she knows for sure is that this cat brought out another side of Armitage Hux, one that she really didn’t think she would be ready to see. 

“What are you doing with her?” Hux snapped his attention back to the girl with her long dark hair tied in a ponytail. 

Biting her lip, Rose shook her head and whispered, “I found her. The First Order left her here after their last invasion. They could have killed her, knowing that you are the owner…and a traitor. But luckily, I was able to get to her in time.”

Hux sneered and closed his eyes, “And how exactly did you know that she was mine?”

“I remember seeing a holovid, after you prided yourself in destroying the Hosnian System. After you finished your tyrannical speech, I saw the cat right next to you. You didn’t push her away, which pretty much made sense that you wanted her near. I can easily connect the dots.” Rose explained. 

Hux could feel the anger in her tone and stated, “I didn’t imply that you lack intelligence.”

Rose realized that she overreacted, seeing that the cat has stopped purring and sighed, letting her head fall back and whispered, “I’m sorry then…for the misunderstanding.”

Hux raised an eyebrow in surprise, “Not going to seek reason to antagonize me?”

The question made Rose smile a little, as she said, “It’s funny how you think that a few days in a cell makes you so vulnerable as if we are all supposed to forget who you were and what you were doing just a few weeks ago.” 

“You have your point of view, Miss. Tico, and I have my own. There are two sides of this war. Yours is not necessarily perfect and innocent. And while we were not gentle in our rule, we provided a stable economy, excellent medical care, order and security. Freedom was butchered but so were many crimes. Thievery, murder…all punishable by death. We inspired fear, but we were smart to understand that giving this Galaxy too much freedom could only result in chaos and destruction of all systems. The Old as well as the New Republic suffered, as a result.” 

Rose listened carefully to him, not even sure that she had blinked, until the end of his speech. Millicent had started purring in his lap once more. But neither Rose nor Hux were paying attention to her. Their eyes were focused on each other’s.

“We? You’re not part of that “we” anymore, are you?” Rose finally asked him. She hadn’t meant to be smug about it. It just came out that way. She may have upset him because of that.

“You have done your duty, Miss. Tico. And now perhaps you would wish to return to the scum you call friends. Please allow me to rest and think about what an idiot I was to turn my back on my life’s work.” 

There was silence that followed. Hux stood up and held his cat in his arms, the best he could. Rose stood up as well and watched with a surprised look on her face the way Hux placed Millicent in her own arms. 

“What…?”

“Perhaps she will be safe with you. I trust you will keep her fed and cared for.” Hux whispered and then turned around and sat down in his corner.

Rose continued to stand there, with the cat in her arms, watching him, her eyes gentle, in a way they had never been before. The way he cared for his cat like that…she didn’t realize why but it almost made her jealous. Jealous of the gentle words of his that were towards his cat, the way he held Millicent and petted her. It was as if he reserved such gentleness only for this animal, and for no one else.

It somehow made her wonder if he would ever show such affection to someone else…maybe a human, like himself. What about family? Didn’t he have a family? Didn’t this family ever show him affection? Was it his family’s fault that he became such a cruel man, destroying systems in the Galaxy, just so he could get revenge on people? Just so he could feel some kind of satisfaction of destroying people’s lives, just as others destroyed his?

Rose didn’t know where all of these questions came from. All she knew was that she had indirectly been dismissed by the ex-General. And somehow, she was not moving, still with the cat in her arms.

Hux was starting to realize that the girl was not going to listen to his dismissal. So, he just sat there, in the corner, with his hands in his lap, glaring at her.

“Is there anything else, Miss. Tico?” he asked, rather calmly.

The girl pursed her lips for a moment before opening them and saying, “I don’t think that you are an idiot for making that decision. You never know. It may have been the best decision you have ever made in your life.”

With that, she turned around and opened the cell door, watching it hiss shut behind her. Looking at Millicent in her arms, she decided it was best to get her to her room, before going to find Rey. She felt confused. The more she looked at the cat, the more she thought of him. And she realized that since she had taken this responsibility of caring for his cat, she would be thinking of him a lot more from now on.

The thought made Rose feel uneasy. She left the cat in her room, leaving her some food and water and then walked out, knowing the poor thing would need some rest after all she’s been through. She’s really lucky she wasn’t killed by the First Order forces.

Lost in her thoughts about Millicent, then about Hux, she didn’t realize that she bumped into someone. And just her luck, it happened to be Finn.

Groaning a little, Rose averted her eyes to the floor and mumbled, “Sorry.”

“Rose! I was looking for you actually!” he exclaimed excitedly, making her eyes lift off the floor and land on his face in wonder. Was he actually pleased to see her.

“You were?” she asked, suspiciously.

“Yeah…you know…I just wanted to ask you if you would like to do something…maybe tonight?” Finn asked her, hopefully, shocking her even more. 

Rose crossed her hands over her chest and whispered, “You ignored me for weeks now and all of a sudden you want to do something? Like what?” 

Finn was starting to get really nervous. He rubbed the back of his neck and said, “Well…I don’t know. Just spend some time together?”

She didn’t know why she was hesitating. A few days ago, she would have jumped at the chance to have Finn’s undivided attention, seeing as he was spending all of his time with Poe lately. But now, nothing sat right with her.

“I don’t know, Finn. I have some plans made. I am behind on my work…there are lots of X-Wings I need to keep repairing. I just don’t think that I have the time…” 

Rose was trying to wiggle out of this and she didn’t understand why. Because she wanted to spend time with Finn. But maybe under different circumstances. Maybe before he started ignoring her. Maybe before she started her so called mission with Rey. Most importantly, she didn’t want to betray Rey by risking telling Finn what they were up to in those prison cells, who would inevitably tell Poe. 

“Please. Come on! We haven’t seen each other that much lately. I’m sorry I haven’t been…there for you, but I was busy with this whole First Order fiasco. Please? Can we just do something together tonight? I can ask Poe for another party. We deserve it.” Finn insisted.

Rose’s eyes widened, “Finn, we are in the middle of war. The last of the First Order troops will return any day now. We can’t afford to have a party!”

“Pryde’s army is weakened. And I don’t think they’ll come back. But if they do, we’ll crush them. That doesn’t mean that we have to stay on high alert all the time. We can have a little bit of fun before go to war again.” Finn explained.

She was still unsure of his intentions. This was all too sudden. And from the way he was acting, it was like he was hiding something from her. A party, he said. Another party. Well, if that was the case, maybe Rose could use this to her advantage and get all the information she needed out of him.

“Fine. If there will be a party tonight, maybe we can talk.” Rose finally responded with a small smile. She still liked him…a lot. And she wasn’t going to give up on this opportunity to spend time with him. 

“Great! I’ll set everything up with Poe and see you there! And if you see Rey, tell her she can come… if she’s not still upset.” Finn mumbled the last part in such a way as if he were hoping that Rose wouldn’t hear him. But she did, and she raised an eyebrow, but before she could question it, Finn left.  
…

Rose found Rey in the training room she had set up for herself on the D’Qar base, practicing some lightsaber skills, smashing everything in sight. 

“Hey.” She waved and Rey stopped, wiping the sweat from her forehead. 

Placing her hands on her hips, Rey faced Rose and saw the look on her face. She seemed worried. “Hi. Is something wrong?” 

“It’s Finn. He is suggesting we have another party tonight. He came to me and said that he wants us to…well, I don’t know exactly what he wants. He seemed very unsure of himself.” 

“Another party?! We can’t!” Rey exclaimed, exasperated and close to being enraged. What in Force’s name was Poe thinking? And Finn? She thought better of him. 

“I know! But what can we do? We either need to replace Poe or just…” Rose bit her lip and stopped herself from saying something that she had been thinking of lately. Rey seemed eager to know what she was thinking. 

“Leave.” Rose finally said it. 

There was a lot of silence that followed. Rey and Rose continued to stare at one another, deep in thought. Rose didn’t know if Rey was fine with this idea. Especially since Ben was locked up on the base. She wouldn’t leave without him. Rose knew how much she loved him. 

Rey didn’t want to tell Rose what she was planning. It was not the time. And now that maybe things were going back to normal between her and Finn, she didn’t want to risk her saying anything about their secret arrangement with the current prisoners.

“Maybe we should just see what happens tonight. By the way, what happened with Hux? You were in that cell a while.” 

“I found his cat.” 

“His cat?”

“Her name is Millicent. The First Order troops most likely abandoned her here when they invaded. I’m going to take care of her.” Rose explained.

There was a small smirk plastered on Rey’s face. 

“You’re going to take care of Hux’s cat?” 

“I know how it seems, but it’s an innocent cat. And it’s the only being that Hux actually cares about from what I saw. He looked…different…when he saw her.” Rose explained and shrugged. 

Rey picked up her stuff and smiled, saying, “Just don’t get too attached.” 

Rose scowled and hissed, “I am not attached to Hux! I am just surprised to see a side of him that I never thought he would have. I mean, he killed so many people, he was a ruthless leader on the wrong side of this war, he was barbaric, he was a tyrant, and not to mention what he did to the Hosnian System…”

“Hey!” Rey stopped the ranting and Rose stopped talking but kept her mouth parted as she saw that Rey couldn’t stop smiling. But she was not as smug as before.

“I meant the cat. Don’t get too attached to the cat.” Rey finally explained herself, making Rose close her eyes in embarrassment. What was she thinking, acting so defensive in front of Rey? She was a Jedi, she could sense everything. And what was that whole rant about how Hux was a tyrant. Wasn’t he still?

“Right. The cat. Don’t worry. She’s in good hands.” Rose finally excused herself and walked out of the training room with Rey right behind her.

“Is Ben doing okay?” Rose asked, seeing the troublesome look on Rey’s face all of a sudden, as they walked down the hall.

“He’s fine. But he’s weak. He’s not used to this kind of lifestyle. He has had every possible privilege since he was a child, food, water, clothes, shelter…and since he’s been stuck in that cell, he’s been experiencing something new and painful. I’m worried. I want him out as soon as possible.” 

…

Ben’s head was rested against the cold wall. He was hungry and once again, he was missing Rey. He wanted to have her back in his arms. Perhaps her presence was the only thing that could ease his mind. Her voice. Her thoughts. 

He almost missed Hux. At least with him around, he had someone he could insult and annoy. But everything was becoming dark…there was something that was clouding his mind. He didn’t know where it came from, but he was becoming scared of it.

Whenever Rey was around, he could feed off her light. But when she was not…he could feel nothing but cold and darkness. It would soon consume him, if he didn’t leave. But leave where? Where would he go? He was a traitor to the Galaxy. He was a murderer. Where would he go? Where would he be accepted?

Would he be forced to part from Rey? All the questions that were running thought his mind were forcing him to enter some form of depression. He started to wonder whether or not he would be fine with living a new life after the trial. Would he have that chance or would he be condemned to die? 

Was death the right answer? It would certainly ease his pain. But Ben knew that there was one thing in his life that was worth fighting for, his love for Rey. He could only hope that would be enough to drive away the darkness in his mind. 

At that moment, a bright shinning light appeared in the cell. It almost blinded him. Once it had dimmed a little, Ben lifted his head and made out the shinning face and body.

“Hey there, kid.” Luke’s soft voice spoke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m back! I hope you guys liked the chapter. The next one will show a new party on the Resistance base, Poe making some new enemies, Hux and Rose developing their relationship even more, and Ben’s confrontation with Luke’s Force Ghost. 
> 
> Thanks for reading and leave a comment!


	6. Monsters

Ben hissed a little, closing his eyes and keeping his head against the wall, wishing that he was simply seeing things, out of hunger, because he was missing Rey, because he felt himself slip into a dark place once again. His mind no longer functioned. That was what he convinced himself of. Because Luke couldn’t possibly be right there, in front of him. The man despised him, Ben knew that for sure. But his feelings were certainly reciprocated, on his part. 

“Not you.” Ben finally mumbled, shaking his head, wishing even more that Hux was here and not his uncle. 

He opened one eye to find Luke standing there, glowing like a Force ghost that he was and smirking at him. Ben didn’t know what else to say, so he just waited for the ghost to respond, getting angrier by the second, his mind turning dark once more.

“Am I not welcome?” Luke finally asked.

“No!” Ben snapped immediately, shaking his eyes and closing his eyes once more. Maybe there was a time, a few days ago, when he was first incarcerated here, when he would have wanted to speak to his uncle, maybe even apologize for everything. But not anymore. The more he stayed in that cell, the more Ben could feel everything that has tormented him over the years reach him again.

“You need to clear your mind. And then fill it with all that you hold dear. Everything close to your heart.” Luke informed him, as if he had been reading his nephew’s mind.

Ben snorted and glared at him, raising an eyebrow. “Everything close to my heart? As far as I know, the Jedi ban compassion and all sorts of affection. I remember how you wanted me to be selfless, emotionless…a puppet of your creating, a machine designed to fight for the greater good of the Galaxy…”

“No. No, Ben.” Luke murmured silently, shaking his head. He didn’t seem offended by Ben’s words, and wanted him to understand why he was there.

“No? Perhaps I am imagining my childhood then…”

“What is going on with you? Why all the anger? Look at what you have accomplished, Ben. You became far greater than any Jedi…”

“Spare me those words! I don’t need your encouragement! And I don’t need your lies! Don’t compare me to any of your Jedi ever again! I am my own. And I have never felt to be a true Jedi. Despite what you taught me to do, to not feel…I need to feel…I feel everything. And you have never been able to drive that away. You were always threatened by me…because you could never control me. And I never let you control me. Your appearance here is pointless. Go!”

But Luke didn’t go. He just stayed there, staring at his nephew, his eyes showing nothing else but sorrow. He finally stepped closer, shimmering in the darkness of the cell and bend forward, placing a hand on his shoulder. It was warm and comforting, and Ben would never admit to that. And then Luke said something that really touched him.

“Ben, I know that I have made many mistakes with you. I have no desire to apologize nor to deny anything. However, I am here to praise you…to tell you how proud I am of you, because you’ve achieved something that only my father ever could. You turned away from the dark side, for love.”

There was a moment of silence, during which time they stared at one another, their expressions unable to determine what they were each feeling. 

“If that is all you came here to say, you may leave me in peace now. I need to be alone with my thoughts.” Ben sighed and pulled out his card, breaking free of the chains, realizing that nobody would be coming in his cell anytime soon.

“I shall leave…but I will never be truly gone. You will always have me near. Whenever you wish to talk, I will be here, Ben. Both me and your mother. We will be here. And as for Han…he is at peace now. You won’t be able to contact him, but…whenever you need him…you will feel it. I promise you.” Luke explained, but his hand didn’t leave his nephew’s shoulder. He was saying that he was leaving, but he made no move to actually leave.

Ben realized that and slowly frowned, glancing down at the glowing hand and then back at his uncle’s face.

“I am concerned. I feel your darkness. Despite how quickly you got rid of it, it has returned during the time you have spent in this cell. You need to find a way to control it, or you might slip away again. And I cannot have that. Your mother would not bear to see that. Help yourself…and let others help you.” 

Luke finally pulled his hand away and turned around, looking ready to leave. But Ben’s low voice stopped him.

“I feel them again. In my mind.” His nephew explained, while rubbing his wrists nervously. 

“Them?” Luke asked and turned around, looking for more. But Ben had a feeling that he knew exactly what he was talking about. He just wanted to hear it coming from him.  
“My mother’s sacrifice…saved my life…it brought me back. Rey did everything in her power to heal me, but it was my mother’s untimely death which gave me life. And from that moment on, there was only one voice that I could hear. One. Rey’s. And that had almost never happened for me. For the first time in my life…I felt liberated…complete…happy…with Rey.” Ben explained and gulped, feeling some sweat formed on his forehead and slowly starting to drip down to his brows. 

“And now?” 

“Now…I feel myself slipping into darkness. And I think the voices have returned. I cannot tell Rey.” 

“But you must!” Luke exclaimed, all of a sudden, his voice shaking slightly. 

“No. I don’t want to see her disappointed, upset. She means everything to me. If she finds out…she wouldn’t…”

“She would help you.” Luke insisted.

“She cares for me…and that is because I am Ben Solo in her eyes, and no longer Kylo Ren. But if she discovers the truth now…she would turn from me…I can’t lose her…I would rather die…” Ben’s voice started shaking as well, tears welled up in his eyes.

Luke continued to stare at him, worry in his eyes. This situation seemed familiar. He learned all too well from his talks with Obi-Wan about his father. He knew Anakin Skywalker’s obsessive love for Padmé Amidala. Because he refused to lose her, he gave up everything to the dark side, in hopes of saving her. And he failed miserably. He broke her heart. She died…and the man she loved died alongside her…only to be revived years later, when no one thought possible, by his own son. 

“Tread carefully, Ben. Your grandfather was also afraid of losing your grandmother…and terrible things happened to him. He turned to the dark side, became Darth Vader and helped Palpatine destroy this galaxy.” He informed him and without realizing it, enraged Ben.

“I know all to well what happened to him! And I am not him! And Rey is not my grandmother! I won’t lose her and she won’t lose me.”

Luke still looked unconvinced, and watched as Ben slowly stood up, placing one hand on his forehead, feeling some pain. He was slowly losing himself. He felt it. But he refused to let himself. For Rey…he would do anything. He would fight this. He would try…and he didn’t need his uncle’s help.

“What shall I tell your mother?” Luke asked.

“Tell her what you want! I don’t care!” 

“You are unwell. You must tell Rey…and she must get you out of here as soon as possible.” 

At hearing those words, Ben slowly lowered his hand and glared at his uncle as if he was messing with his head again. “What are you talking about? I will face trial after the First Order’s defeat. I am not going anywhere.”

“That is not what your mother told me. Perhaps it would be best to speak to Rey…and take care of that anger. You have achieved so much, kid…don’t let it go to waste.” 

With that, Luke’s ghost slowly started to disappear. Ben watched him leave the cell into darkness once more, realizing that there were some things Rey hasn’t told him about what she and his mother agreed upon. What was going on? Where was he going? Rey had a lot of explaining to do. 

Ben slowly sat back down on the cold ground, thinking about his mother…of her comforting words…it soothed his mind, for a moment. But he knew it would not be enough. He needed to be freed…he couldn’t bear to feel this way. He couldn’t bear to be locked up any longer. He heard the voices…and they were encouraging him. They were telling him that his life was no longer worth living. He was done for. The only kind of life he could have would be one in cells.

…

Rey walked down the halls, towards the place where they agreed to meet for that so-called party. She decided she would use this opportunity to find out how the Resistance members felt about Poe’s leadership.

She dressed up, despite the fact that she hates it, with a burning passion. It was one of the dresses that Leia had left her. It was pretty, cream in color and long. She took the time to curl her hair as well…or more like, Rose helped her with it, all the while mumbling how ridiculous it was that this party was even taking place. 

Rose wore a light blue dress, also from the trunk of Leia’s old dresses from her youth. They were absolutely beautiful even after all these years. It was natural, seeing as how Leia was not only a great General, but also a Princess of Alderaan. Rey and Rose both considered it an honor to wear them, but maybe they should have done this honor for a different occasion. But certainly not now…not when they were still at war. 

They arrived at the party later than everyone else. Rose looked around for Finn, seeing as how they had planned to spend time together, but he was nowhere to be seen. Come to think of it, Poe was nowhere in sight either. 

Rey saw how upset Rose looked. Her bottom lip was almost quivering, but she still had that fake smile plastered on her face. That was just the way Rose was sometimes, very sweet even though some people really didn’t deserve her kindness. Rey didn’t know what Finn was up to and frankly, she had other more important things to worry about. 

She turned to Rose and stated, “I am going to mingle and try to see everyone’s perspective on how Poe is handling the end of this war.”

Rose nodded, crossed her arms over her chest and asked, “And what if they are all too gullible? As far as I know, Kaydel is the only one that actually stands up to Poe and his ridiculous ideas. Look at us! We’re having a party when the First Order troops could come here at any moment! And I feel like an idiot whenever I am ordered to go down to maintenance and prepare those X-Wings. I know I am a mechanic and that’s what I’m good that. But…I just feel so used sometimes and…”

Rey was listening closely to what Rose was saying and was agreeing with her one hundred percent. “And?” She wanted Rose to carry on. 

“And sometimes I get the feeling that we’re no better than the First Order. We’re getting ready to attack. We’re getting ready to kill. We’re not promoting peace. And come to think of it, I don’t think we really ever have.” She explained. 

Rey raised her eyebrows and smirked, “Where did that come from? You used to be the strongest supporter of our cause.” 

“I still am. I just don’t think that we’ve been respecting that cause ever since Leia died. And Poe is only thinking about himself.” Rose said, and then added, “From the looks of things, Finn is doing the exact same thing.” 

The mingling and the drinking had already started. Poe and Finn were nowhere in sight. “I think that I better get to work. Are you going to wait for Finn?” 

“Maybe a while. I really want to talk to him. He’s the one who asked me to this party. If he’s missing, there must be a good reason why. You go ahead. Do what you need to do, but…” “But what?” 

“Rey, what happens if nobody else sees things the way we do. There’s only three of us.” Rose asked, seeming a little exasperated. 

“Then maybe it’s time we follow our own path…do what we think is right. And let the others suffer the consequences.” Rey responded, without fear that Rose might tell someone about this. After all, they were close friends now, just like she and Finn used to be, before he started getting close to Poe. 

Words could no express the shocked look on Rose’s face. “What do you mean suffer the consequences? You’re thinking of abandoning the Resistance?” 

“If that’s what it takes to keep Ben safe.” Rey told her, determined.

“Ben? This is about Ben? I thought this was about Poe’s incompetence.”

“It is. And his incompetence is going to lead us to lose this war. And even if by some miracle we do win the final battle and get rid of the remaining First Order troops and General Pryde is in custody…it would only fuel Poe more against Ben…and Hux.” Rey explained.

“So you’re saying that you’re going against Poe no matter what?” 

“That’s Plan B. Getting out of here.” Rey told her, lowering her voice. Rose’s eyes widened and she looked around, making sure that no one heard them. But it was a party. Everyone was way too drunk or otherwise preoccupied. 

“Defecting? I have always been against that. You have no idea what I did to Finn when I thought that was exactly what he was doing back when the First Order first found us on D’Qar!”

Rey grabbed Rose’s arm firmly and hissed, “I need you to be quiet. Please don’t say a word to anyone. Not even Finn. Actually, especially not Finn.” 

“You’re planning to leave…with Ben? And go where?”

“I don’t know that yet. But he’s not going to be treated fairly during that trial. I am starting to realize that. And Hux’s fate is going to be terrible regardless of whoever comes to his aid. It’s hopeless. Look at what Ben has done to save us. He turned from the dark side, he killed Snoke and was also responsible for Palpatine’s final downfall. And despite that, he is still treated like a First Order prisoner and he’s not allowed to even wash in the sonic. I’ve had enough. No one knows him like I do. So, he is going to spend the rest of his life with me. In exile, if need be.” 

Rose looked over at the front entrance of the room, seeing that Poe has finally made his appearance but Finn was nowhere to be seen. She bit her lip and stepped forward, heading straight for him. She didn’t know what she was going to say to him but she knew that the words would eventually come to her. 

She still liked Finn. Deep down, she knew that little crush on him remained, and she knew that despite how pathetic it would make her seem to keep chasing after them, she couldn’t help herself. But before she could even step forward to meet him, Rey grabbed her arm and held her back. She looked worried.

“Please, don’t say anything to him. You have to promise me! This is my life. And Ben’s. I know that you mean no harm to either one of us but if you tell Finn…” 

“Rey, please, relax. I am not going to say anything. I promise you.”

“Good.” Rey whispered and let go of her arm.

Finn finally noticed her at that moment and waved with a smile. Rose smiled back, perhaps a little too forced and stepped forward. “Hey…what have you been doing?” 

“Oh, I was just around, with Poe. You know, talking war and stuff.” Finn poured himself a drink, but didn’t bother to start any other conversation. Rose decided she would do the talking, then.

…

Hux could hear the party taking place. His cell was dark and quiet. He could hear everything, all day, every day. Everything that Poe and his crew planned. He hated to admit it, but more and more, he desired to feel her presence. He thought of her…everyday. Most importantly, he thought about everything she said to him.

He never cared for anyone’s opinion towards his manner of ruling the Galaxy. Most people never even lived to express their opinions in front of him. But she did. And involuntarily, she was the first he allowed. She was the first he ever tried to persuade that his methods were efficient. 

Days had passed since he had parted from the First Order, and he still never regretted being a part of it. Being surrounded by Resistance scoundrels like Poe Dameron made him proud of his initial choice, even though he did end up helping the Resistance, all in vain. They had never even shown an ounce of appreciation for his help. They starved him, humiliated him, left him untended for, unwashed. And he was certain that interrogations would follow shortly. 

Resistance prisoners were treated better, that he was certain of. Their meals were richer, the cells were spacious and cleaner. The First Order treated the enemy itself with decency. The only reason the Resistance was still standing was because of his help. They should be darn grateful, instead of locking him up like an animal.

Hux’s thoughts were making him angrier by the second. More and more he desired to go back in time and return to the First Order. With Pryde’s arrival, he was not respected much, but he knew that he would have been happier. 

Voices could be heard outside of his cell now, and Hux stopped his train of thought in order to pay attention. He believed that it was most likely those vermin they called jailors, Nathar and Claale. Unfortunately, it was worse. Hux was forced to listen in on a private conversation between Poe Dameron and that traitorous ex-Stormtrooper. Were they even aware that they were whispering right outside his cell?

“I didn’t want to bring her, but what can I do? She’s getting suspicious. She’s wondering why I was ignoring her all this time, Poe. And I think Rey is onto me too.”

Poe sighed and whispered, “I know it’s difficult but you shouldn’t have to string her along like that. We’ll have to come forth eventually.”

“I don’t want anyone to know yet! I was thinking I could just make Rose think that I am still into her, we can have some public appearances and then I’ll let her go, but in a very nice way.” 

Hux felt his blood run cold. The two were discussing Rose Tico. And not in a very pleasant way. If he understood correctly, they were talking about using the girl for their benefit. The former General sighed angrily and leaned his head back against the wall, also groaning a little. Why did it have to be him to have to hear this?

“Are you sure this is going to work?”

“Yeah. Everyone knows that Rose and I are a thing. Nobody is going to suspect us for a second. And Rose likes having me around. It would be a win for her too.”

“And you don’t think she’ll be upset when she finds out?”

“Look, I like Rose. I do, but, I don’t know. She clings to me a little too much sometimes. I guess that’s why I was trying to stay away from her a little. I know what she wants us to be, but I can’t. Not when the two of us…”

The traitor didn’t continue. And that was a good thing. Hux was feeling his blood boil at what he was hearing, and he couldn’t imagine why. Why did he care if little Miss Tico was a part of their scam? He had other more important things to worry about, like what he would do out of this cell. How would his life change?

The two got quiet for a moment and Hux had to strain himself to try to hear some more. But they were no longer talking. Frowning, he realized he only heard some strange noises…as if they were…

“Ugh!” he exclaimed and closed his eyes. Of all places the vermin could do that, they decided to do it right outside his cell, for him to hear. 

Poe Dameron and the ex-Stormtrooper…together…as a pair. Hux would have never imagined it. But the two deserved each other. He heard footsteps parting and they were finally gone. 

…

After a few minutes of light conversation, Rose started to get bored herself. Finn was not in the mood and she respected that. Maybe he wasn’t enjoying the party, just like she wasn’t. 

Rey was seen talking to Chewie. R2-D2 was right behind her, listening in. Rose knew that her friend was too preoccupied with her plans in order to keep her company. But Rose remembered something…the cat. Millicent must have been bored to death in her bunk. 

Slowly, Rose walked out of the party and into her room, where sure enough, the orange cat was sitting and staring at her as if she were expecting something. Rose decided to feed her and talk to her, about Finn, about her feelings… until she realized that even though Millicent was great to have around, she actually needed someone who would talk to her. 

Petting the ginger cat gently, and watching her purr in delight, Rose smiled and walked out. It was as if her mind was no longer controlling her body. She found a medical droid and ordered it to follow her to Hux’s cell. 

Luckily, Claale and Nathar were once again not at their posts, probably having gone to join the party. She opened the door with a hiss and stepped inside.

Hux was sitting in his corner, his eyes wide when he saw her. But it was more than just shock, she noticed. He was looking her up and down, surprised by her attire or…was it possible he was admiring it?

Rose bit her lip and started feeling a little flustered. Leia’s old dress, as beautiful as it was, was making her feel a little too exposed. And her hair, no longer pulled up in a ponytail, but curled around her shoulders was not making her feel any good around someone like Hux either. 

“Hi. I brought a droid for your…wastage. I thought you might need to relieve yourself…and…for your facial hair…you need to get rid of it.” Rose mumbled as she spoke. Hux only continued to look at her and then slowly raised an eyebrow, watching the droid slowly move towards him. 

“Indeed. I need to…relieve myself…as you put it.” Hux stated, slowly standing, looking disgusted as the droid pulled out a jug. 

Rose could actually feel her cheeks reddening, realizing that Hux was now looking at her, but there was no emotion that could be seen on his face. She had no way of knowing what he feeling. Was he embarrassed?

“I believe it would be inappropriate for you to watch.” He finally pointed out. 

She was pulled out of her trance and said, “Right! I just…um…let me just take care of one thing.” She started looking for something in her pockets and Hux watched her, curiously. 

Pulling out a set of keys, Rose stepped forward and took his hands, freeing him of his chains. Hux let out a breath of relief, as he hadn’t been able to move his hands as he pleased in days. He didn’t say anything, even though he knew that she was expecting gratitude. He had not managed to sink that low. He tried to hold on to his pride as best he could. 

He simply nodded curtly and turned back towards the droid, grabbing the jug. 

Rose went to the other side of the cell and turned around, closing her eyes and feeling the most embarrassed she had ever felt before. 

After relieving himself of waste, the droid started getting to work on his facial hair, namely the beard that had started growing. Rose turned back around and fiddled with her Crescent Hasian Smelt Necklace, knowing that it always brought her comfort. 

She watched as the droid worked on Hux, even though he was showing signs that he was greatly disturbed by the manner in which the droid was removing his facial hair. His discomfort actually made Rose grin a little. She didn’t know why but she liked to see him pissed off. 

“Something amusing?” Hux hissed and Rose locked eyes with him, realizing that he had actually been looking at her this whole time. 

“Maybe.” Rose responded and didn’t hide her small grin.

“I thought perhaps you would be joining your idiotic friends at your too early celebratory party. I have never seen such ignorance in my entire life! It is precisely this kind of attitude that will lose you this war, even though you currently outnumber the First Order troops.” Hux explained, as the droid was finally finishing up. 

Hux looked good as new, clean shaven and his hair had been cleaned and brushed as well. The droid made its way out of the cell, the door hissing shut behind it. 

“I didn’t agree to the party. But I have to blend in. It’s not up to me!” Rose snapped back, thinking that his comment was actually directed at her, meant to insult her. 

Hux scoffed as he rotated his wrists, trying to get his blood to circulate normally now that he was no longer in cuffs. “It was not you I was referring to, Miss. Tico. You may want to lower your voice.” 

“Fine. But you can stop making stupid comments!” 

“Again, my comment was not addressed to you. But moving on, what are you doing here and not blending in?” 

Rose took her time before answering this time. She felt a little out of place, even though Hux was the prisoner here, not her. 

“I need someone to talk to.” She finally whispered, thinking of the way Finn had not bothered to pay attention to her tonight. 

“And of all your choices, you thought of me as the right person to indulge you?” Hux asked, incredulously. 

“My options were limited. And you clearly don’t have anything better to do.” Rose put her hands on her hips and challenged him with her look. 

Hux sighed and faced her, his hands behind his back, taking a stance. 

“Very well. What did you have in mind?”

“There are a lot of things that don’t add up with you. I want to find out some things. More like, I ask you questions and you answer them.”

“An interrogation. Ha! I was surprised it took you this long to operate! Someone risked his life to offer you valuable information and you…”

“It’s called a conversation. I’m thinking your life was mostly based on you giving orders and others executing them. Now, maybe, you might get a chance to practice some talking, without ordering people around.”

Hux stepped even closer to her and glared, noticing the way she was starting to take a step back from him, fiddling with her necklace again. 

“And you’re certain I would desire to discuss anything freely with you?” Without asking for her permission, he raised his hand and gently traced the necklace himself, making her pull her hand back, as he had accidently also traced hers. 

Rose locked eyes with his again but her expression was much gentler. “Maybe you would. If you have someone who is willing to listen. You keep saying that I don’t understand your methods…your thoughts. Maybe if we talked…I would get some perspective...”

“On?” Hux pressed. 

“On you.” 

“What do you wish to know?”

“Anything about your family.” Rose breathed out her response, knowing that this was what she wanted to find out. More than any other piece of information about the First Order…she wanted to know what made Armitage Hux the persona in those war holograms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Longest chapter yet! Please leave a comment and tell me what you think.   
> Next chapter will be super focused on Gingerrose, as well as Reylo, when Rey discovers Ben’s new torment.   
> Thanks guys!


End file.
